“The Taiwan-U.S. relationship is rock solid, and all cooperation projects will continue uninterrupted,” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told reporters during a visit to textile merchants in western Taiwan.
The comments came after Xi, in his first call with Trump since November, warned the U.S. president to be “prudent” about supplying arms to the self-ruled island, according to a readout of their call provided by China’s Foreign Ministry. Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy that China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing prohibits all countries it has diplomatic relations with — including the U.S. — from having formal ties with Taipei.
