Taiwan's Representative to US, in CBS Interview, States: 'We Are Not the Troublemakers, We Hope for Peace and Stability'
(CNA, Washington, 17th) Taiwan became one of the most watched topics during last week's summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 18, 2026 at 02:54
- 🔍 Collected: May 18, 2026 at 03:01 (6 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 18, 2026 at 03:03 (1 min after Collected)
(CNA, Washington, 17th) Taiwan became one of the most watched topics during last week's summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In an interview with CBS today, Taiwan's representative to the United States, Yu Ta-tsun, stated, "We hope for peace and stability."
Yu told CBS's Sunday morning political program "Face the Nation": "We want to live our lives as usual, but we are not the ones making all this trouble."
According to CBS News, Trump returned to the US on the 15th after two days of talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing. Taiwan is a core interest of China, and Beijing refuses to rule out the possibility of taking Taiwan by force. The United States has for decades promised to help Taiwan defend itself, but there is growing concern that this commitment may change under the Trump administration.
On the 15th, aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that during his Beijing trip, the two "talked a lot about Taiwan." According to Chinese state media, Xi warned Trump that if the Taiwan issue is not handled properly, the two countries could "clash or even conflict."
Yu pointed out today that although Trump "heard a lot about Taiwan" during the summit, "the problem is, he only heard their side of the story, he heard the Chinese perspective."
He said that Taiwan is "very willing to explain our position, which is the truth of what Taiwan has experienced, a story of resilience and firm resistance in the face of Chinese provocation."
Yu stated: "This situation has been going on for 77 years. It didn't just start after the Democratic Progressive Party, the current ruling party, came to power. This has been going on for 77 years, since they established the People's Republic in 1949. So this is not a recent development."
He expressed gratitude for the US position during the Beijing summit, emphasizing that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio "were very clear about their attitude towards their Beijing visit, publicly stating that the long-standing US position on the Taiwan issue has not changed."
China wants the US to stop arms sales to Taiwan, but Trump said he "has not made a commitment to either side" and will "make a decision in a fairly short period of time." In an interview with Fox News after meeting with Xi, he said he viewed the pending arms sale as a "good bargaining chip."
Trump said: "It would be very wise if Taiwan eased the situation a bit; it would also be very wise if China eased the situation a bit."
When asked about this statement, Yu noted: "I think this indicates he wants to maintain the status quo, meaning he does not want any change in the Taiwan Strait situation due to economic or military coercion, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are beneficial to all parties involved."
Yu said: "We are not subordinate to the People's Republic of China in any way. This is about defending our sovereignty, our way of life, our democratic system, our vibrant economy, and high-tech production. This is what independence means: we are sovereignly independent, not subject to the People's Republic of China's attempts to annex us as part of it."
He stressed that Taiwan "does not want war."
"It's like at our home, an intruder wants to break in. We are trying to strengthen our security system, and the intruder complains because we are trying to improve our security system to make it harder for them to succeed."
Yu told CBS's Sunday morning political program "Face the Nation": "We want to live our lives as usual, but we are not the ones making all this trouble."
According to CBS News, Trump returned to the US on the 15th after two days of talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing. Taiwan is a core interest of China, and Beijing refuses to rule out the possibility of taking Taiwan by force. The United States has for decades promised to help Taiwan defend itself, but there is growing concern that this commitment may change under the Trump administration.
On the 15th, aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that during his Beijing trip, the two "talked a lot about Taiwan." According to Chinese state media, Xi warned Trump that if the Taiwan issue is not handled properly, the two countries could "clash or even conflict."
Yu pointed out today that although Trump "heard a lot about Taiwan" during the summit, "the problem is, he only heard their side of the story, he heard the Chinese perspective."
He said that Taiwan is "very willing to explain our position, which is the truth of what Taiwan has experienced, a story of resilience and firm resistance in the face of Chinese provocation."
Yu stated: "This situation has been going on for 77 years. It didn't just start after the Democratic Progressive Party, the current ruling party, came to power. This has been going on for 77 years, since they established the People's Republic in 1949. So this is not a recent development."
He expressed gratitude for the US position during the Beijing summit, emphasizing that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio "were very clear about their attitude towards their Beijing visit, publicly stating that the long-standing US position on the Taiwan issue has not changed."
China wants the US to stop arms sales to Taiwan, but Trump said he "has not made a commitment to either side" and will "make a decision in a fairly short period of time." In an interview with Fox News after meeting with Xi, he said he viewed the pending arms sale as a "good bargaining chip."
Trump said: "It would be very wise if Taiwan eased the situation a bit; it would also be very wise if China eased the situation a bit."
When asked about this statement, Yu noted: "I think this indicates he wants to maintain the status quo, meaning he does not want any change in the Taiwan Strait situation due to economic or military coercion, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are beneficial to all parties involved."
Yu said: "We are not subordinate to the People's Republic of China in any way. This is about defending our sovereignty, our way of life, our democratic system, our vibrant economy, and high-tech production. This is what independence means: we are sovereignly independent, not subject to the People's Republic of China's attempts to annex us as part of it."
He stressed that Taiwan "does not want war."
"It's like at our home, an intruder wants to break in. We are trying to strengthen our security system, and the intruder complains because we are trying to improve our security system to make it harder for them to succeed."