Taiwanese Foreign Minister Says Island’s President Prepared for Phone Call With Trump

The Taiwanese foreign minister said it would be viewed ’very positively' if Trump were to call the island’s president for talks.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung answers questions from media during an international press briefing in Taipei on July 19, 2024. I-hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty Images

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said it would be a positive step if U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, but added that it was up to Trump to take the initiative.

Trump told reporters on May 20 that he intended to speak with Lai, but no sitting U.S. president has spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader since 1979, when President Jimmy Carter ended diplomatic recognition of the island, formally known as the Republic of China, and switched to recognizing the regime in Beijing.