TAIPEI, MAY 16: Taiwan said Saturday it is an “independent” nation, hours after US President Donald Trump warned the democratic island against declaring formal independence.

Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday where Chinese President Xi Jinping had pressed him not to support Taiwan, which China claims is part of its territory.

Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying out its threat to annex the island by force.

Taiwan “is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also insisted that US arms sales were part of Washington’s security commitment to Taiwan, after Trump said it “depends on China” and was a “very good negotiating chip for us.”

Taiwan’s statements came after Trump issued a warning to the island against making a declaration of independence.

“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,” he told Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

“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.”

But Trump added that “nothing’s changed” on US policy towards Taiwan.

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

Under US law, the United States is required to provide weapons to Taiwan for its defense, but it has been ambiguous on whether US forces would come to the island’s aid.

Xi had begun the summit with a warning on Taiwan, whose President Lai Ching-te considers the island already independent, making a declaration unnecessary.

The Chinese leader told Trump that missteps on the sensitive issue could cause “conflict.”

Taiwan’s Presidential Office noted Saturday the “multiple reaffirmations from the US side, including President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the consistent US policy and position toward Taiwan remain unchanged.”

“Taiwan looks forward to continuing to work with the US under the firm commitments of the Taiwan Relations Act,” spokeswoman Karen Kuo said in a statement.

US weapon sales
Ahead of the summit, Trump had said he would speak to Xi about US arms sales to Taiwan, a departure from Washington’s previous insistence that it would not consult Beijing on the matter.

Taiwan’s parliament recently approved a $25 billion defense 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.

Speaking to reporters on Friday en route to Washington, Trump said on arms sales: “I’ll make a determination over the next fairly short period of time.”

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said arms were “not only a US security commitment to Taiwan clearly stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act, but also a form of joint deterrence against regional threats.”

Tzeng Wei-feng of the National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations in Taipei said the Trump administration was “leaning to China’s position” on Taiwan in order to have better relations with Beijing and could “change the arms sale package a little bit to show their goodwill.”

Trump “overtly stating that arms are a bargaining chip is exactly what Taiwan didn’t want to hear,” Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, told AFP.

“The hope is that arm sales were non-negotiable, because it’s part of the six assurances, and what Donald Trump is essentially saying is that one of those assurances no longer matters.”

TEHRAN, MAY 16: Iran has prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz along a designated route that will be unveiled soon, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said on Saturday.

Azizi added that only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit from the arrangement. He said fees would be collected for specialized services provided under the mechanism.

NEW DELHI, MAY 16: Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat has acknowledged that India’s long-standing efforts to isolate Pakistan at the international level diplomatically have not succeeded despite repeatedly promoting a terrorism-related narrative.

Speaking to a British news channel, Dulat said India had attempted to isolate Pakistan globally since the beginning but failed to achieve the objective despite using international lobbying, available resources and proxy channels.

Pakistan-India relations have remained largely frozen in recent years, with diplomatic engagement stalled. The two neighbouring countries have also experienced border skirmishes and a brief 87-hour conflict last year.

In May 2025, Pakistan, during the 87-hour conflict, downed eight Indian fighter jets — four French-made Rafale, one Su-30 aircraft, one MiG-29 aircraft, one Mirage 2000 aircraft, and one “expensive” multi-role unmanned aerial system — as well as dozens of drones.

The war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

Following the military conflict, Pakistan emerged as a regional stabilisation force, acting as a mediator between the United States and Iran — managing to secure a 14-day fragile ceasefire, which was eventually extended.

During the interview, the former RAW chief said it was a misconception in India that Pakistan would eventually break apart, asserting that the country would never disintegrate.

According to Dulat, the prevailing regional situation suggested that India itself was increasingly facing diplomatic and political isolation.

Speaking about Pakistan’s military leadership, he said Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was receiving growing international recognition and attention.

He further claimed that the US president had referred to Field Marshal Munir as his “favourite field marshal”.

Trump has time and again praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and COAS Munir after the ceasefire was brokered, and Pakistan hosted negotiations between the US and Iran.

Dulat also said Pakistan’s balanced, active and responsible diplomatic engagement as a mediator had strengthened its standing in the international community.

Commenting on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the former intelligence chief said the less visible dimension of the issue remained the continuing unrest, uncertainty and feeling of deprivation among the people.