Would be happy to talk to U.S. President Donald Trump: Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said connected Thursday (May 21, 2026) that helium would beryllium "happy" to speech to U.S. person Donald Trump, a speech that would interruption much than 4 decades of diplomatic protocol and hazard angering China.

Mr. Trump told reporters connected Wednesday (May 20, 2026) that helium would talk to Mr. Lai, arsenic the White House weighs arms income to the antiauthoritarian island. It was the 2nd clip since a acme successful Beijing past week that Mr. Trump has said helium would telephone the Taiwanese leader. Such connection would beryllium the archetypal clip since Washington switched diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing successful 1979 that serving Presidents of Taiwan and the United States would talk to each other.

Taiwan would ‘welcome’ its President speaking to Trump, Taiwanese Minister says

Mr. Lai said Taiwan was "committed to maintaining the unchangeable presumption quo successful the Taiwan Strait" and that "China is the disruptor of bid and stability", the Foreign Ministry said successful a statement. Mr. Lai would beryllium "happy to sermon these matters with President Trump", the connection said.

"I'll talk to him. I talk to everybody," Mr. Trump said, adding that helium had a large gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his authorities sojourn to Beijing past week. "We'll enactment connected that, the Taiwan problem," helium said.

Uneasy truce successful Beijing arsenic Trump and Xi sermon trade, Taiwan

After wrapping up his travel to Beijing, Mr. Trump suggested arms income to Taiwan could beryllium utilized arsenic a bargaining spot with China, which claims the land is portion of its territory and has threatened to prehend it by force.

Since then, Mr. Lai's authorities has been connected the offensive, insisting that U.S. argumentation connected Taiwan has not changed and that Mr. Trump made nary commitments to China connected arms income to the island.

Taiwan relies heavy connected U.S. enactment to deter immoderate imaginable Chinese attack, and has been nether aggravated unit to summation its spending done concern successful American firms.

In 2016, soon aft his archetypal predetermination victory, Mr. Trump accepted a telephone telephone from past Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, angering Beijing and stunning diplomats, satellite leaders and China watchers.