Trump says he’s willing to talk to Taiwan’s leader, a major departure from diplomatic norms

By Helen Regan, Wayne Chang, CNN

(CNN) — US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of speaking to Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, in what would be an unprecedented move for a US leader and a major departure from diplomatic norms.

US and Taiwanese presidents have not spoken directly since 1979, when Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei.

“I’ll speak to him,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday when asked whether he would call Lai before making a decision on whether he will sign off on a major Congress-approved arms sale to the island.

“I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand,” he said before boarding Air Force One, adding, “we’ll work on that Taiwan problem.”

It is not clear whether the Trump administration has moved forward with any plans for a call.

Trump’s comments on potentially speaking to Taiwan’s Lai came days after he returned from his a closely watched visit to Beijing. During that trip, China’s leader Xi Jinping warned Trump directly that Taiwan could become a “very dangerous situation” if mishandled.

China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it — and has long vowed to “reunify” the island with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary.

Under the “One China” policy, the US acknowledges China’s position that Taiwan is part of China but has never officially recognized the Communist Party’s claim to the island.

Washington maintains robust unofficial relations with Taiwan and is bound by law under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide the self-governing island with defensive weapons. A 1982 US assurance to Taiwan says Washington does not have a policy of consulting with Beijing on arms sales.

How the US handles its unofficial relationship with Taiwan has long been a major point for contention for Beijing, which is now watching closely whether Trump will advance a $14 billion arms deal with the island. Congress approved the deal back in January.

Any call between Trump and Taiwan’s leader would likely anger Beijing and could risk potentially driving a diplomatic wedge between the US and China.

As President-elect in 2016, Trump had a phone call with Taiwan’s then President Tsai Ing-wen, which overturned decades of diplomatic protocol. China’s foreign ministry lodged a complaint and urged the US to adhere to the ‘one China’ policy.

Following his visit to China last week, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed arms sales to Taiwan “in great detail” and that he would make a decision about arms sales “over the next early short period of time.”

A senior US official last week noted the US administration’s record of arms sales to Taiwan, which included more than $11 billion in sales last December – one of the largest in history – as a sign of the US commitment to the self-governing island.

On Wednesday, Trump described his meeting with Xi in Beijing as “amazing,” before describing Taiwan as a “problem.”

Taiwan President Lai, who marked two years in office on Wednesday, said communication channels between Taipei and Washington “were always open” and if given the opportunity to speak directly to Trump, he would say that his administration is maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

“It is China that acts as a disruptor of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Lai said, adding that “military procurement from the US” was necessary to safeguard Taiwan.

“We hope these military efforts can continue,” Lai added.

China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin on Wednesday accused Lai of being “indulged in the illusion of seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ through reliance on external forces” and “attempting to change the fundamental status quo that Taiwan belongs to China.”

Lai has long maintained that Taiwan is a de facto sovereign nation that has no need to formally declare independence.

Taiwan has been ramping up military purchases in recent years as it comes under increasing pressure from Beijing, with Chinese aircraft and ships present almost daily around Taiwan as well as regular large-scale exercises in and over the surrounding waters.

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CNN’s Simone McCarthy contributed reporting.