Sawt Falasteen - Taiwan's leader says island will not be 'traded away'

Lai's comments came after US President Donald Trump suggested arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a bargaining chip with China, which claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to seize it by force.

Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday where Chinese President Xi Jinping had pushed him not to support Taiwan, which depends heavily on US security backing to deter a potential Chinese attack.

"The United States' continued arms sales to Taiwan and deepening of Taiwan-US security cooperation are not only necessary but also key elements in maintaining regional peace and stability," Lai said in a statement on Facebook.

Lai insisted that Taiwan, a global powerhouse in AI technology and semiconductor chip manufacturing, was at the "core" of global interests and "will never be sacrificed or traded away".

Trump's remarks after the summit that US arms sales to Taiwan "depends on China" and were a "very good negotiating chip for us" have alarmed Taipei, which insists such sales are part of Washington's security commitment to the island.

The United States is required under US law to provide weapons to Taiwan for its defence, but it has been ambiguous on whether US forces would come to its aid.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he thought Lai's statement was a "reasonable thing for the leader there to say".

"They've got to flex their muscle a little bit," Johnson told Fox News.

"China cannot just go take over land, and we're going to stand strong, and the Congress will."

Taiwan's parliament recently approved a $25 billion defence spending bill that will be used for US weapons.

Lawmakers have said the funds will cover nearly $9 billion of the $11.1 billion arms package announced by Washington in December and a second phase of arms sales -- not yet approved by the United States -- worth more than $15 billion.

Trump has said he is still considering the arms sales and will decide "over the next fairly short period of time".

- 'Cool down' -

In an interview with Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier", Trump said: "I'm not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that."

"I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down," Trump said.

"We're not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China's going to be OK with that."

Lai said China was the "root cause of regional instability", and vowed Taiwan "will not provoke or escalate conflicts" but nor would it be pressured into giving up "our democratic and free way of life".

"It is the status quo we seek to defend; there is no so-called 'Taiwan independence' issue," said Lai, who considers the island already independent, making a declaration unnecessary.

The United States recognises only Beijing and does not support formal independence by Taiwan, but historically has stopped short of explicitly saying it opposes independence.

Xi began the Beijing summit on Thursday with a warning on Taiwan. The Chinese leader told Trump that missteps on the sensitive issue could cause "conflict".

Q.Bulbul--SF-PST