President Tsai receiving briefings on Trump-Xi meeting: official

Taipei--A national security team has been giving President Tsai Ing-wen (???) regular briefings to keep her informed on the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (???), the Presidential Office spokesman said Wednesday.

Alex Huang (???) said the team has recently invited related government agencies for intensive discussions and has gathered information on regional and international developments for analysis and forecasting and to draft contingency plans.

At the same time, Taiwan has maintained good communications with the United States, and the U.S. has continued to explain its policies to Taiwan ahead of the meeting, scheduled for April 6 and 7 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

It will be the first time the two leaders have met in person.

Members of Congress as well as scholars at think tanks friendly to Taiwan have also continued to speak up for Taiwan ahead of the meeting, stressing the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, he said.

Huang said the United States is the most important ally of Taiwan internationally.

"We also understand that the U.S. government attaches great importance to peace and stability in East Asia, and this includes the continuation of good Taiwan-U.S. relations. A stable East Asia is crucial to U.S. interests," Huang said.

Taiwan, as a member of the international community, will continue to develop a solid cooperative relationship with the U.S. and contribute to peace and stability in the region, he said.

The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) was adopted in 1979 to maintain commercial, cultural and other unofficial relations between the U.S. and Taiwan after Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

Under the Six Assurances given to Taiwan in 1982 by then-President Ronald Reagan, the U.S. pledges not to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, not to hold prior consultations with China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, and not to play a mediation role between Taiwan and China.

They also include assurances that the U.S. will not revise the TRA, alter its position regarding Taiwan's sovereignty, or pressure Taiwan to enter into negotiations with China.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel