Relations With US ‘Rock Solid,’ Taiwan’s President Says After Trump–Xi Call

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te reaffirmed Taipei’s strong relationship with Washington on Feb. 5, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Chinese leader Xi Jinping about topics including the democratically governed island.

“The Taiwan–U.S. relationship is rock solid, and all cooperation projects will continue uninterrupted,” Lai told reporters during a visit to a textile merchant in western Taiwan on Feb. 5.

On Feb. 4, Trump said he and Xi had a “long and thorough call” discussing subjects including Taiwan, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and “the current situation with Iran.” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the discussion was “very positive.”

The U.S. president described his relationship with Xi as “extremely good” and said, “We both realize how important it is to keep it that way.”

Trump previously announced plans to meet with Xi in China in April and said the Chinese leader would visit the United States toward the end of the year.

According to a readout of the Feb. 4 phone call published on China’s foreign ministry website, Xi reiterated the Chinese regime’s territorial claim on Taiwan and said that the United States should handle the issue of selling arms to Taipei “with prudence.”

Beijing considers the democratic, self-governing nation of Taiwan its own territory and has not ruled out taking control of the island by force. Taipei rejects Beijing’s territorial claim.

Arms Sales to Taiwan

While the United States does not officially recognize Taiwan, Washington is Taipei’s most important ally and its largest arms supplier.

On Dec. 17, the Pentagon announced an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan. It is the largest U.S. weapons package ever proposed for Taiwan and the second package agreed upon during the current Trump administration, following a $330 million deal in November for spare and repair parts for the country’s aircraft fleet.

Lai on Nov. 26 announced a special defense budget worth $40 billion to defend against military threats from the Chinese regime. The funds will be allocated between 2026 and 2033 and will be used for projects including the construction of a “Taiwan Dome,” an air defense system with detection and interception capabilities.

The Taiwanese president said at the time that there was “no room for compromise on national security.”

“National sovereignty and the core values of freedom and democracy are the very foundation of our nation,” he said.

“This is not an ideological struggle, nor a dispute over ‘unification versus independence.’ It is a struggle to defend democratic Taiwan and to refuse to submit to being ‘China’s Taiwan.’”

Recently, Lai proposed strengthening economic cooperation with other democracies, including the United States.

“Taiwan is on the right economic path and is striding confidently as it engages with the world. We have both the strength and the confidence to work with fellow democracies to steer the next generation of prosperity,” he told a Feb. 3 press conference at the Taiwanese Presidential Office.

The Taiwanese president praised the outcome of the sixth round of the U.S.–Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, which took place in Washington the week prior. He said that one of his administration’s goals was to deepen U.S.–Taiwan trade and economic relations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.