TAIPEI — Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te posted on social media Friday reaffirming that the island would defend its sovereignty and democratic way of life, following a summit between the leaders of the United States and China. The statement came as the U.S. Congress had approved a new $11 billion arms package for Taiwan that awaited presidential sign-off.

"Taiwan will not provoke or escalate conflict, but it will also not relinquish its national sovereignty and dignity, or its democratic and free way of life, under pressure." He also wrote that "Taiwan has always been a staunch maintainer of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, not a party seeking to change it." In the same post, he said "China was the root cause of regional instability."

In a separate Sunday statement on the arms package, he said, "This is not only a US security commitment to Taiwan, but also the most important deterrent force against undermining regional peace and stability."

The remarks followed a summit earlier in the week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said Xi feels very strongly about opposing Taiwanese independence, and said he had made no commitment either way on the question.

In a Fox News interview Friday, Trump said he was not looking to have Taiwan go independent. He also said he had not yet decided whether to sign off on the $11 billion arms package passed by Congress. "I haven't approved it yet. We're going to see what happens," he said. "I may do it. I may not do it."

Xi, in remarks published by state media, said, "The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations." He added, "If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation."

The question of Taiwan's sovereignty has been disputed since the Chinese civil war in the 1940s. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has pledged reunification by force if necessary. The United States does not officially back Taiwan's claims to independence, but successive U.S. presidents have supported Taiwan through arms sales and public statements and have suggested the U.S. could defend Taiwan if attacked by China.