Washington: A senior Democratic lawmaker has sharply criticised President Donald Trump over remarks suggesting he discussed future US arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling the move a break from long-standing American policy.
Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna, Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, said Tuesday that Trump’s comments were “alarming.”
“Trump’s admission that he is discussing future US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi is alarming and a blatant violation of US policy and the Six Assurances,” Khanna said in a statement.
His remarks followed President Donald Trump’s comments about consulting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping regarding arms sales to Taiwan — an issue that sits at the heart of US-China strategic tensions.
Khanna argued that such consultations would run counter to established US commitments toward Taiwan, particularly the so-called Six Assurances, a set of policy principles dating back to the Reagan administration.
“His statement shows just how Trump treats Taiwan as a ‘bargaining chip’ in trade negotiations with China. It shows he is more eager to make bad deals with America’s strategic competitors than strengthen ties with long-standing friends like Taiwan. It is not only an affront to the security of Taiwan’s 23 million people, but a stain on America’s global credibility,” Khanna said.
He urged the White House to provide clarity and reaffirm continuity in policy.
“I urge the President to reaffirm our commitment to the Six Assurances and clarify that our policy on Taiwan has not changed. Taiwan must be off the table.”
The Six Assurances are six policy principles the US has committed to during every administration since President Reagan. Among them, the second Assurance states that the US did not agree to consult Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan.
Unlike the Taiwan Relations Act, the Six Assurances are not yet codified into law. Congress is currently advancing legislation to codify these stabilising principles through the Six Assurances to Taiwan Act.
The Taiwan Relations Act, enacted in 1979 after Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, provides the framework for unofficial US relations with Taiwan and mandates that the United States make available defensive arms to the island.
(IANS)
