US mission in Taipei says Trump's 'unification' comment was about US-China trade

TAIPEI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's remark connected "unification" was astir the U.S.-China commercialized narration and U.S. argumentation towards Taiwan has not changed, the de facto embassy connected the land said connected Tuesday, aft the wording caused unease successful Taipei.

China claims democratically-governed Taiwan arsenic its ain territory and has vowed to "reunify" with the island, by unit if necessary. Taiwan's authorities rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying lone the island's radical tin determine their future.

Washington and Beijing connected Monday agreed to slash steep tariffs for astatine slightest 90 days, pausing their commercialized war, a determination Trump praised erstwhile speaking to reporters astatine the White House.

"They've agreed to unfastened China, afloat unfastened China, and I deliberation it's going to beryllium fantastic for China, I deliberation it's going to beryllium fantastic for us, and I deliberation it's going to beryllium large for unification and peace," helium said, without mentioning Taiwan.

In a statement, the American Institute successful Taiwan, which operates arsenic a de facto embassy successful the lack of ceremonial diplomatic ties, said Trump was speaking astir U.S.-China trade.

"It's wide President Trump was speaking successful the discourse of the U.S.-China commercialized relationship," a spokesperson said. "U.S. argumentation connected Taiwan remains the same, and the U.S. attack to Taiwan has remained accordant crossed decades and administrations."

Taiwan's statesmanlike office, successful a abstracted statement, noted the U.S. remark that Trump was referring to commercialized talks with China and not Taiwan.

"The U.S. committedness to Taiwan remains beardown and unchanged," spokesperson Karen Kuo said, adding that Taiwan's knowing was that the U.S.-China commercialized talks did not interaction connected Taiwan-related issues.

Trump's remarks created interest successful immoderate authorities and diplomatic circles successful Taiwan connected whether U.S. argumentation towards the land had changed, 7 sources told Reuters.

"Is helium going to alteration the presumption quo, accepting the annexation of Taiwan?" 1 of the sources said, a elder authoritative who declined to beryllium identified owed to the sensitivity of the matter.

The U.S. authorities lone officially recognises the authorities successful Beijing, and does not instrumentality a presumption connected Taiwan's sovereignty, lone acknowledging China's presumption connected the taxable nether Washington's long-standing "one China policy".

Washington is bound by instrumentality to supply Taiwan with the means to support itself, and has repeatedly expressed condemnation of stepped up Chinese subject activities, including the latest circular of warfare games successful April.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee)