There is palpable anxiety in Taiwan on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, as people here hope the island does not become a bargaining chip for negotiations between the American leader and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While the opposition KMT hopes dialogue between the US and China can reduce tensions, the ruling DPP fears the summit could lead to coerced concessions.
The two-day summit between the world’s two most powerful leaders was originally scheduled for March or early April but had to be postponed in view of the war in Iran.
A majority of the people here expect that President Trump will neither abandon Taiwan nor agree to making any concessions detrimental to the island’s security or its economic interests.
Top Taiwanese ministers have been quoted in the media as saying that they are confident that US-Taiwan relations will not be affected by the visit. In any case, the Taiwanese government is closely monitoring the high-profile visit and hoping there won’t be any surprises in store regarding Taiwan-related matters.
Beijing, meanwhile, is said to be pushing hard on the Taiwan question and wants it to be settled rather than being passed on from one generation to another. US arms sales to Taiwan have been a sticking point between the US and China and Beijing is expected to take up the issue strongly.
‘’The US and President Trump are fully aware that people of Taiwan will never accept to be part of an autocracy like China…we will do whatever it takes to protect our independence and sovereignty,’’ this is the general refrain in Taipei, Kaohsiung and other places in Taiwan.
The US currently says it does not support Taiwan’s independence but Beijing has been nudging Washington to state that it opposes independence for the island.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently confirmed that Taiwan will be among the key topics to be discussed between President Trump and President Xi but was hopeful that the issue won’t become a source of tension between the two countries or destabilise the summit between the two leaders.
There are reports in the local media saying senior US officials have assured the Taiwanese leadership ahead of the trip that President Trump has no intention of changing long-standing U.S. policy on the island.
But given the unpredictable nature of President Trump and the contradictory signals emanating from Washington, Taipei is taking nothing for granted.