Taiwan ministry denies tense diplomatic exchange with U.S. over Trump’s China remarks

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied reports that its foreign minister engaged in a tense exchange with the unofficial U.S. ambassador to the island earlier this month over President Trump’s statements calling for closer ties to mainland China.

The ministry said in a statement that a report in The Washington Times about a meeting between Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung and American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene was false and “fabricated.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs solemnly clarifies that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and [American Institute in Taiwan] have always maintained close and good interactions and have closely coordinated on deepening Taiwan-U.S. cooperation,” the statement said.

The statement said “there is absolutely no situation as reported” that Mr. Lin and other senior Taiwan officials complained to Mr. Greene.

The Times reported that Mr. Greene was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a meeting with Mr. Lin on March 2.

The ministry statement, however, did not say whether Mr. Lin met Mr. Greene met on March 2 in other circumstances, or discussed by phone Mr. Trump’s remarks in late February in the White House at the start of a Cabinet meeting.

Mr. Trump at the meeting declined to answer a reporter’s question about whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack saying, “I never comment on that.” He also said he likes Chinese President Xi Jinping “very much” and wants to get along with him.

Two Taiwanese Foreign Ministry officials also could not say whether Mr. Lin and Mr. Greene held discussions regarding the president’s comments on Taiwan, or the contentious Oval Office meeting Feb. 28 between the president, Vice President J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Many in Taiwan have cited Washington’s shifting stance in defense of Ukraine against Russia as a possible sign of a similar shift in the U.S. stand on the China–Taiwan issue.

“Minister Lin Chia-lung and Director Raymond Greene often exchanged views on promoting Taiwan-U.S. relations,” said Vicki K.J. Lai, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington in summarizing the ministry statement.

A second Taiwan official also said he could not say whether Mr. Lin and Mr. Greene discussed Mr. Trump’s remarks by phone.

An AIT official referred questions to the State Department. A State Department spokesman declined to comment Thursday when asked about the March 2 exchange between Mr. Lin and Mr. Greene.

The Times reported that Mr. Lin asked Mr. Greene to explain Mr. Trump’s Oval Office comments about wanting to have good relations with Mr. Xi and inviting China to “come in and invest” in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the exchange that was described as intense.

A day later, Mr. Trump announced that the Taiwanese microchip giant TSMC has promised to invest $100 billion in semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S.

“Minister Lin welcomed Director Greene’s comments in a recent interview with local Taiwanese media in which he clearly conveyed the Trump administration’s firm support for and commitment to Taiwan as well as the positive message of Taiwan and the United States helping each other become stronger and more prosperous,” the ministry statement said.