US President Barack Obama’s mentioning of the Taiwan Relations Act during a joint press conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Taiwan’s security. That’s the word from Taiwan’s foreign ministry on Saturday.
At a joint news conference held Friday in the White House Rose Garden, Obama said that he mentioned the Taiwan Relations Act while discussing with Xi security in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Taiwan Relations Act was enacted in 1979 to maintain commercial, cultural, and other unofficial relations between the US and Taiwan after Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The act also requires the US to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons.
In Taipei, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said that it welcomed Obama’s remarks. It added that Taipei and Washington have restored mutual trust in recent years and both sides have continued to maintain communication through various channels.