Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has said US President Donald Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize if he successfully persuades Chinese President Xi Jinping to permanently renounce the use of military force against Taiwan.
Speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a conservative US radio programme broadcast on more than 400 stations, Lai praised Trump’s support for Taiwan and urged continued cooperation amid rising tensions with Beijing.
“We hope to continue receiving President Trump’s support. Should President Trump persuade Xi Jinping to permanently abandon any military aggression against Taiwan, President Trump would undoubtedly be a Nobel Peace Prize laureate,” Lai said.
Trump and Xi are expected to meet later this month during a gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders in South Korea. Lai’s remarks referenced Trump’s earlier claim in August that Xi had assured him China would not invade Taiwan during his presidency.
While the United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it remains the island’s most important international partner and major arms supplier. However, since Trump returned to office earlier this year, no new arms deals with Taipei have been announced.
When asked what advice he would offer Trump in a potential meeting, Lai said he would urge caution over China’s expanding military activities.
“I would advise him to pay particular attention to the fact that Xi Jinping is not only conducting increasingly large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, but is also expanding military forces in the East China Sea and South China Sea,” Lai said, according to a transcript released by Taiwan’s presidential office on Tuesday.
Trump, who has frequently claimed he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize like some of his predecessors, may see Lai’s comments as a boost to his international standing ahead of Friday’s announcement of this year’s laureate in Norway.
