One phone call does not a treaty make, but President Donald Trump’s conversation with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine is worrying Taiwan. China will watch developments for any hint on whether a resolution spells a similar future for the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te’s government should consider what it can offer Trump to avoid becoming a pawn in the U.S.-China rivalry. It’s a delicate balance: Appeasing the U.S. leader doesn’t only mean figuring out what he wants, but interpreting how American policy toward the island might be changing.
The U.S. State Department updated language on its website recently to remove a line that stated: "We do not support Taiwan independence.” The last time the same fact sheet cut the sentence was in May 2022, under former President Joe Biden's administration. It was reinstated about a month later, following protests from China.
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