Taiwan denounces Xi's comments to Trump in Washington

Taiwan's government has dismissed Chinese President Xi Jinping's statements about the island's future to US President Donald Trump as a "distortion of facts," asserting that only Taiwanese citizens can decide their destiny. China asserts sovereignty over democratically run Taiwan, a claim President Lai Ching-te and his administration reject.

During a meeting in Washington yesterday, Xi told Trump that China's stance on maintaining national reunification and territorial integrity is clear, urging the US to align with its "correct position" opposing Taiwanese independence. Xi's remarks reflect China's persistent tactic of misrepresenting facts and unilaterally asserting its claims, Taiwan's foreign ministry stated in a declaration.

Taiwan's sovereignty, the ministry emphasized, belongs to the entirety of the Taiwanese populace, and the Chinese Communist Party holds no legitimacy to represent the island's people; the nation's future can only be determined democratically by the Taiwanese themselves. Despite lacking formal diplomatic ties, the US remains Taiwan's paramount international supporter and arms provider.

Following a meeting with Xi in Beijing, Trump announced in May that he was suspending an upcoming arms deal to Taiwan, referring to it as a "good bargaining chip." Taiwan's foreign ministry labeled China as the "true disruptor" of regional peace and stability, citing its military incursions around the island and in the East and South China Seas.

Taiwan pledges to cooperate extensively with the United States and other like-minded entities in jointly preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.