Taiwan said Saturday it is an “independent” nation, hours after US President Donald Trump warned the democratic island against declaring formal independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, where Chinese President Xi Jinping had pressed him not to support Taiwan, which China claims is part of its territory.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying out its threat to annex the island by force. Taiwan “is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China”, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The ministry also insisted that US arms sales were part of Washington’s security commitment to Taiwan, after Trump said it “depends on China” and was a “very good negotiating chip for us”. Taiwan’s statements came after Trump warned the island against declaring independence. “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that,” he told Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier”. “I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump said. “We’re not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that.” But Trump added that “nothing’s changed” on US policy towards Taiwan. The United States recognizes only Beijing and does not support formal independence for Taiwan, but has historically stopped short of explicitly opposing independence.