TAIPEI (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te told a conservative U.S. radio show and podcast in an interview.
The United States is Chinese-claimed Taiwan's most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the island.
Trump could meet Xi at a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in South Korea later this month.
Lai, speaking this week on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, which is carried on more than 400 talk radio stations, referred to comments Trump made in August in which he said Xi told him China would not invade Taiwan while he was U.S. president.
HOPE FOR TRUMP SUPPORT
"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 has said he deserves the accolade given to four of his White House predecessors. This year's prize will be announced in Norway on Friday.
Asked what he would tell the U.S. president if he were to meet him, Lai said he would advise Trump to pay attention to Xi's actions.
"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 of his remarks released by the presidential office on Tuesday.
A few hours after the transcript's release, Taiwan's defence ministry reported it had spotted another spike in Chinese military movements, with 23 military aircraft and drones carrying out a "joint combat readiness patrol" around the island with Chinese warships.
China's increasing military activities further and further from its own shores are not only a challenge for Taiwan, Lai said.
"The challenge extends beyond merely annexing Taiwan. Once Taiwan is annexed, China will gain greater strength to compete with the United States on the international stage, undermining the rules-based international order," he said.
"Ultimately, this will also impact U.S. homeland interests. Therefore, I hope President Trump will continue to uphold peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific."
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Lai's remarks.
INCREASED DEFENCE SPENDING
Given the lack of formal ties, Taiwanese presidents do not speak directly to or meet U.S. presidents.
Taiwan, along with major Western allies, has worked to address Washington's concerns that it is not spending enough on its own defence - Lai has set a target of defence spending to reach 5% of gross domestic product by 2030.
"I will tell them that Taiwan is absolutely determined to safeguard its national security," Lai told the show, when asked about how he would show the United States the island's resolve to defend itself.
The United States, which is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, has long stuck to a policy of "strategic ambiguity," not making clear whether it would respond militarily to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Lai rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. China calls Lai a "separatist" and has repeatedly rebuffed his offers of talks.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kate Mayberry)
