Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. on Taiwan seeking independence and weapon sales

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Ambassador Alexander Yui, Taiwan's Representative to the U.S., spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about Taiwan seeking independence.

According to Brennan, there hasn't been a phone call between an American president and a leader of Taiwan since 1979, but President Donald Trump indicated there might be one coming, prompting her to ask Ambassador Yui if there is one planned, to which he said:

" Well, we'll see, but President Trump, when he was in Beijing for the last two days, he mentioned that he heard a lot about Taiwan, you know, he heard a lot about Taiwan those two days in Beijing. But the problem is he heard only their side of the story, you know, he heard the Chinese story, or as I would say in Spanish, el cuento chino. I think if he has time, would love to tell him our side of the story, the Taiwan story, which is one that of resiliency, of a state staying up against the Chinese aggression. This has been going on for 77 years. This is not something that just happened when the DPP, the current ruling party in Taiwan, came to power. This has been going on for 77 years, since the inception of 1949 when they became a People's Republic. So this is not a recent thing, as if we are the ones creating problems. It is People's Republic of China, creating all this problems...But I'll leave it to the U.S. to announce anything if it happens."

Brennan then said China refers to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te as a separatist because he talked about being a "practical worker for Taiwan independence."

During an interview with Fox News, President Trump said he wasn't looking to have someone say, "Let's go be independent because the U.S. is backing us," leading her to ask the ambassador if Taiwan has any indication of declaring independence formally from China, and he said:

"Let me first say that President Trump and Secretary [Marco] Rubio have been very categorical during their visit to Beijing, publicly stating that there's no change, United States' longstanding position in Taiwan, which we want to express our appreciation for upholding this position. What is meant by Taiwan independence? My president just made a statement recently, just now, and it means that Taiwan is independent from the Chinese aggression, from the PRC, actually. The formal name of my country is Republic of China, and we're not subordinate to the People's Republic of China, in any way, at all, and that's maintaining our sovereignty, our way of life, our democracy, our vibrant economy, our high-tech production...And that is what is meant by independence. We are sovereign, independent away from the Chinese People's Republic of China's attempt to swallow us as one of their own. They have never ruled or controlled Taiwan, ever."

During the interview, Brennan and Yui talked about the Trump Administration pledging near record amounts of defensive weapons and sales to Taiwan, but the deliveries have not happened.

While in Beijing for the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump told Fox News he's holding on to the latest weapons sale Taiwan sought to purchase this year and use it as a negotiating chip with China.

When asked what impact that will have on his ability to deter China if Taiwan doesn't get the weapons, Yui said:

"If we want to prevent a war from happening, I think it's best that Taiwan is strong, able to defend itself, and therefore we should be able to acquire...to buy the arms that we need to have a stronger defense, you know. We e also abide, we believe in peace through strength, so actually it makes more sense for United States to sell us the arms, so we can defend ourselves, and so you don't have to send your army 9,500 miles away to defend us."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Yui, click here.