TAIPEI, Sept 25 — Taiwan's government has denounced Chinese President Xi Jinping's comments on the island's future to United States (US) President Donald Trump as a "distortion of the facts", saying that only the Taiwanese people can decide their future.
Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position which President Lai Ching-te and his administration reject.
On Thursday, Xi told Trump in Washington that China's position on safeguarding national "reunification" and territorial integrity is clear, and he hopes the US would adhere to the "correct position" of opposing Taiwan independence.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said that Xi's remarks represent "the consistent Chinese approach of distorting facts and unilaterally conveying its position and claims".
"Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to all the people of Taiwan. The Chinese Communist Party has no right to represent the Taiwanese people, and Taiwan's future can only be determined by the Taiwanese people through democratic means," it said in a statement.
The US is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
In May, after meeting Xi in Beijing, Trump said that he was pausing a planned new arms sale to Taiwan, describing it as a good bargaining chip."
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said that Beijing was the "true disruptor" of regional peace and stability, pointing to its military threats around the island and in the East and South China Seas.
It added that Taipei will continue to work closely with the US and other like-minded partners to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
