Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 08:25am on 18 May 2026,Monday International
Lai Ching-te said Taiwan will neither provoke conflict nor surrender its sovereignty after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan during their Beijing summit. Lai said Taiwan is already a sovereign and democratic country and rejected Beijing’s claims over the island. He stressed that Taiwan’s future must be decided by its people and reaffirmed support for maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Lai also welcomed continued US arms sales and security cooperation, calling them essential for regional peace as China increases military pressure around Taiwan. (PC: BBC)
