Taiwan 'confident' in US ties ahead of Trump visit to China

Taiwan is "confident" in the stable development of its ties with the U.S. and Washington has repeatedly said its policy towards the island will not change, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Monday of U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming China trip.



Trump will be in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the issue of democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its territory, is certain to come up.



China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.



The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week there needs to be stability across the Taiwan Strait.



Speaking to reporters at parliament in Taipei, Lin said the government is closely monitoring the upcoming Trump-Xi meeting. "We have also maintained continuous communication with the United States - whether through public statements from the U.S. government or through non-public channels.



We are confident in the stable development of Taiwan-U.S. relations," he said.



The U.S. has pushed Taiwan, along with its major allies around the world, to spend more on their defence.