Taiwan asserted its sovereignty Saturday after Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese self-determination following the American leader’s two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Taiwan “is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry’s remarks come as a swift rebuke against Trump, who said Friday that he was “not looking to have somebody go independent” when asked about whether the U.S. would come to Taiwan’s rescue in the event of an invasion by China.
Look at the map. Taiwan is a miniscule island, extremely close to the Chinese coastline. If they wanted to take it by force, we wouldn’t stand a chance in getting it back. Our supply lines stretch for thousands of miles. Theirs are…right over there.