Relations with US ‘rock solid,’ Taiwan president says

Relations between Taiwan and the U.S. ​are “rock-solid” and cooperation programmes will continue and not change, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday after Chinese President Xi ⁠Jinping discussed the democratically governed island with President Donald ‌Trump. In the ⁠Wednesday call, Xi told Trump that the U.S. should “carefully” handle arms ‍sales to the island that Beijing views as its own territory. Speaking to reporters in central Taiwan, ⁠Lai said Taiwan and the U.S. have strong channels of communication. “Taiwan–U.S. relations are rock-solid; all cooperation programmes will continue and will ‌not change,” Lai said, adding that the U.S. commitments to Taiwan also remain unchanged. The fact ⁠that Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China also remains unchanged, he added. The U.S., like most countries, has no formal ⁠diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is the island’s most important international backer and is bound by law to pro