Don’t use Taiwan as pawn in chess game, Taipei urges US, mainland China
Minister’s comments came ahead of expected summit between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump next month, with US policy on Taiwan a prior source of friction
Taiwan’s government, worried about the island being used as a pawn by mainland China and the United States, said on Monday the self-ruled island must protect its own interests as concerns in Taipei rise ahead of an expected meeting between the US and the mainland’s presidents.
Beijing has never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a wayward province and has been pressuring Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, who leads an independence-leaning ruling party, to concede Taiwan is part of China.
The United States is Taiwan’s only major political ally and sole arms supplier.
“We call on the United States and [mainland] China, when they improve relations, to not use Taiwan in their own interests or as a chess piece,” Catherine Chang, Taiwan’s minister in charge of the Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters.
Chang urged Beijing to communicate with Taipei “in order to maintain stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific region”.
The comments come after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told President Xi Jinping on Sunday in Beijing that Donald Trump anticipated a meeting “soon”.