Critics in Taiwan argue the island’s leader and his Democratic Progressive Party are rolling back decades of rhetoric under US pressure
Donald Trump’s comment that he is “not looking to have somebody go independent” has sparked debate in Taiwan over whether it undermines the ruling party’s pro-independence platform.
“I’m not looking to have somebody go independent,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News aired on Friday, adding that the United States was “9,500 miles” (about 15,300km) away from Taiwan and that he was “not looking” to fight a war.
His comments came shortly after Xi warned that the Taiwan issue could become the source of future “clashes and even conflicts” with Washington, according to the readout from Beijing following Thursday’s summit.
“I haven’t approved it yet,” Trump said. “We are going to see what happens. I may do it. I may not do it.”
“We’re not looking to have wars and if you kept it the way it is, I think China is going to be OK with that,” he continued. “But we’re not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us.’”
Taiwan arms sales remained “a very good negotiating chip”, Trump added.
In a social media post on Sunday, Lai said maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region had “long been a firm position of the Republic of China”, using the island’s official name for itself.
He also made a point of thanking Trump for his “continued support” for cross-strait stability and US arms sales to Taiwan.
Most notably, Lai sought to defuse the issue of Taiwan independence itself.
“Defending the status quo of the Republic of China means there is no ‘Taiwan independence’ issue,” he wrote, although elsewhere in the same post he used the phrase “Republic of China Taiwan”.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Lai’s “no Taiwan independence issue” wording drew scrutiny on the island because he and the DPP have long been associated with a stronger pro-independence stance.
Some social media users argued the DPP was rolling back decades of Taiwan independence rhetoric under US pressure.
“So now they finally realise they are the president of the Republic of China?” one commenter wrote, referring to Lai’s past description of himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence”.
Opposition parties quickly intensified their attacks.
New Taipei City mayor Hou You-yi, a noted KMT member, questioned whether the DPP should now abolish its long-standing Taiwan independence party platform after Lai said there was “no Taiwan independence issue”.
KMT lawmakers also argued that Trump had effectively confirmed Taiwan’s role as a bargaining chip in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, particularly after he openly framed arms sales as leverage in negotiations with mainland China.
The DPP emphasised that American policy towards Taiwan was shaped not only by Trump personally but also by long-standing institutional frameworks such as the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, as well as the 1982 “Six Assurances” pledging that Washington would not consult Beijing in advance of arms sales to Taiwan.
Chuang Jui-hsiung, director general of the DPP caucus, said Taiwan’s ties with the US would not be altered by “a single interview or remarks made in a particular setting”.
Chuang accused Beijing of trying to equate Taiwan independence with war, while arguing that mainland China – through military pressure and coercion – remained the true source of instability in the region.
Analysts in Taipei warned that Trump’s remarks could signal a deeper strategic shift regarding the Taiwan issue in Sino-US relations.
According to Su Chi, former secretary general of the National Security Council in Taipei, Washington and Beijing were now prioritising “strategic stability”, with Taiwan independence increasingly viewed as the main disruptive factor.
He said Beijing had successfully identified Trump’s political vulnerabilities and was gradually weakening the external conditions supporting Taiwan.
“Trump and the US governing team’s support for Taiwan and Taiwan independence is likely to become weaker than before,” Su forecast.
Huang Kwei-bo, a diplomacy professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei, said Lai appeared to be attempting to redefine Taiwan independence as the existing Republic of China remaining separate from mainland China, rather than pursuing formal statehood.
But Huang questioned whether Washington would accept what he called Lai’s “new Taiwan independence” formula.
“For the United States, the historical position has always been very simple: do not pursue Taiwan independence,” he said.