Trump said he would discuss the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, and scholars pointed out that his statement overturns the six assurances from 1982.

Xinhua News Agency, February 18 evening report: "U.S. President Trump recently claimed that he is discussing future arms sales to Taiwan with the Chinese side and hinted that he will make a decision on this issue soon. Taiwanese scholars pointed out that Trump's remarks effectively overturned the 'Six Assurances' given to Taiwan in 1982."

Forty-four years ago, the United States put forward so-called "Six Assurances," one of which stipulated: "The United States has not agreed to seek the opinion of the People's Republic of China on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan." However, Trump's latest statement, as scholars in Taiwan said, seems to overturn this provision, but it is actually a strategic statement based on its own interests. This is mainly due to the continued strong countermeasures from China, forcing the U.S. to include arms sales to Taiwan within the framework of Sino-U.S. negotiations, while also laying the groundwork for a visit to China in April and exchanging economic and trade leverage. Essentially, it is a temporary strategy of "using Taiwan to gain advantage over China." The U.S. will never truly abandon arms sales to Taiwan. Its attitude of "discussing but not deciding" is still aimed at continuously containing the situation across the Taiwan Strait and seeking its own interests.

Trump's statement reveals his transactional nature, completely instrumentalizing the Taiwan issue - both as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China and as a means to extort prices from Taiwan. The "Six Assurances" itself are domestic political documents that violate the three joint communiqués between China and the U.S., and are illegal and invalid. Trump's "repeal" is merely tearing off the veil of pretense. When arms sales shift from "no need for consultation" to "on sale," and Taiwan shifts from "a piece" to "a weight," the "relying on the U.S. to seek independence" of the Lai Ching-te administration becomes even more pitiful.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857483254852608/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.