In response to Trump, Taiwan says it is ‘sovereign and independent’

Following a visit from United States President Donald Trump to China, the island of Taiwan has issued a statement saying it is “sovereign and independent”. But Saturday’s statement added that Taiwan plans to maintain the “cross-strait status quo”, under which it will not officially declare independence from China. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list The message came as a response to an interview Trump gave to Fox News a day earlier, as he departed Beijing following meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In the interview, Trump said, “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent,” in reference to Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing claims as its own territory. The question of Taiwan’s sovereignty has been a fractious issue, stretching back to the Chinese civil war in the 1940s. While the US does not officially back Taiwan’s claims to independence, successive presidencies have supported the island through arms sales and remarks suggesting the US could defend Taiwan, should it be attacked by China. Speaking to Fox News, Trump took a more ambivalent approach to defending Taiwan than some of his predecessors. “You know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles [15,289km] to fight a war. I’m not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump said. “We’re not looking to have wars. If you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that. …