Taiwan has insisted it is a sovereign, independent nation, after US President Donald Trump cautioned it against formally declaring independence from China.

Trump's remarks came after a two-day summit in Beijing, after which he said he had "made no commitment either way" about the self-governing island – which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force.

After talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump also said he would soon decide whether to approve an $11bn ($8bn) package of weapons to be sold to Taiwan.

The US administration is bound by law to provide Taiwan with a means of self-defence, but has frequently had to square this alliance with maintaining a diplomatic relationship with China.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has previously stated that Taiwan does not need to declare formal independence because it already sees itself as a sovereign nation.

On Saturday, presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said it was "self-evident" that Taiwan was "a sovereign, independent democratic country".

She added, however, that Taiwan was committed to maintaining the status quo with China – in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it.

Many Taiwanese consider themselves to be part of a separate nation, though most are in favour of maintaining their current status.

Washington's established position is that it does not support Taiwanese independence, with continued ties with Beijing being contingent on its acceptance that there is only one Chinese government.

In an interview with Fox News after meetings with President Xi, Trump reiterated that US policy on Taiwan had not changed, while making it clear he did not seek conflict with Beijing.

"I'm not looking to have somebody go independent," he said.

"You know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles (15,289km) to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down."

On the flight back to Washington, the US president had told reporters that he and Xi had spoken "a lot" about the island, but said he had declined to discuss whether the US would defend it.

Xi "feels very strongly" about the island and "doesn't want to see a movement for independence", Trump said.

Beijing has been vocal in its dislike of Taiwan's president, who it has previously described as a "troublemaker" and a "destroyer of cross-strait peace".

China has ramped up military drills around the island in recent years, raising tensions in the region and testing the balance that Washington has struck.

Trump said the impending arms package would be discussed with Taiwan's leadership.

He added: "I'm going to say I have to speak to the person that right now is, you know, you know who he is, that's running Taiwan."

The US does not have formal relations with Taiwan, though it maintains substantial unofficial relations. US presidents do not traditionally speak directly to Taiwan's leader, and to do so would be likely to cause significant tensions with Beijing.

"Our nation is grateful to President Trump for his continued support for security in the Taiwan Strait since his first term in office," Taiwan's presidential spokesman said.

"Taiwan will continue to deepen co-operation with the US to achieve peace through strength, ensuring that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are not threatened or undermined, which serves the common interests of Taiwan, the US, and the global democratic community."

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A humpback whale rescued after beaching itself in Germany has been found dead near a Danish island.

The whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank on 23 March, off the island of Poel on Germany's Baltic coast.

It swam free in early May after a water-filled barge carried it into the North Sea.

The operation was privately funded by two German entrepreneurs and spurred intense public debate, with critics suggesting it would only cause the animal distress.

A whale carcass was reportedly spotted on Thursday off the Danish island of Anholt, located between Denmark and Sweden.

Authorities were not immediately able to confirm it was the same whale. In a statement the Danish Environmental Protection Agency said conditions on Saturday made it possible for the whale's identity to be verified, and its tracking device retrieved.

The agency told AFP "there are no concrete plans to remove the whale from the area or to perform a necropsy, and it is not currently considered to pose a problem in the area".

But it stressed that people should not approach the whale because it might carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

There may also be a risk of explosion, it added, because of large volumes of internal gas caused by decomposition.

The whale, nicknamed "Timmy" or "Hope" by rescuers and German media, became stranded on Timmendorfer Beach in Lübeck Bay on 23 March.

At first it freed itself but became stuck again several times.

German authorities attempted a number of rescues before announcing they were giving up.

Entrepreneurs Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz later funded a private rescue, fitting the whale with a tracking device and coaxing it onto a water-filled transport ship called Fortuna B.

Till Backhaus, the environment minister in the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, hailed the operation as a success and an "example for Germany of what can be done".

But wildlife groups have been sceptical about the whale's future after its release into the North Sea.

The German Oceanographic Museum warned that the whale was at risk of drowning because it was so weak.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation was especially downbeat, warning that the whale had no long-term chance of survival and had suffered skin damage because of the lack of salinity in the waters along Germany's Baltic Sea coast.

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Wes Streeting has confirmed he would enter any potential Labour leadership contest, days after resigning as health secretary and telling the prime minister he had "lost confidence" in him.

Streeting said on Saturday: "We need a proper contest with the best candidates on the field, and I will be standing."

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC he was seeking to stand in the Makerfield by-election to "save" the Labour Party.

Burnham – who is widely expected to try to replace Sir Keir Starmer as leader should he be selected as the party's candidate in the by-election and win – said the vote must be a moment to "reclaim the Labour party, to save it from where it's been".

The prime minister is resisting calls to stand down and set a timetable for his departure following Labour's election losses in early May – and is expected to fight any challenge from likely contenders, including Burnham and Streeting.

Streeting resigned on Thursday but stopped short of formally launching a challenge to Sir Keir's leadership.

Asked on Saturday whether he had the backing of the 81 Labour MPs needed to trigger such a contest, Streeting said: "I do have support in the parliamentary party, but this week I also had a choice."

Speaking to reporters at a conference hosted by Labour-aligned political organisation Progress, he went on to say the party could have "rushed" into a contest.

But doing so without giving Burnham the chance to stand would mean a new leader would lack "legitimacy", he said – which would end up "extending the instability and uncertainty" in the party.

He said he would not speculate on Sir Keir's future, and that despite any "disagreements" between them the prime minister had "many remarkable qualities" and was "someone of enormous decency".

Asked what he would say to voters thinking about backing Burnham, Streeting said: "Vote for him, in Makerfield especially."

Burnham was cleared on Friday to stand in the by-election by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, after the constituency's current MP said he would vacate it to make way for the Manchester mayor.

This would pave the way for him to return to Westminster as an MP – which he must do to join a leadership contest under Labour Party rules.

He told the BBC on Saturday that Labour "needs to be better".

"We've got to see this as a moment to reclaim the Labour party, to save it from where it's been – we can't just carry on as we are".

He said that he wanted Labour to "be part of working class people".

"I think Britain has been on the wrong path for 40 years, it started de-industrialisation, de-regulation of the buses, privatisation of life's essentials."

Asked whether the election was a vanity project and voters would be frustrated by another election, he said: "I think this is a very necessary election, it's about fixing politics because it's not been working for people."

Burnham said he would "put everything into it", adding: "We're going to change the conversation in this campaign. We're going to get Labour closer to these communities again."

The BBC understands the by-election is likely to take place on 18 June.

Sir Keir has faced mounting pressure from MPs to resign following elections on 7 May which saw Labour lose almost 1,500 councillors in England and suffer heavy losses in Wales and Scotland's national elections.

The BBC is aware of nearly 90 Labour MPs who have since called on Sir Keir to leave his post, or set out a timetable for his resignation.

However, more than 150 MPs have indicated support for the prime minister, or said it was not the right time for a leadership contest.

Sir Keir has told his cabinet that he will "get on with governing" and warned that a leadership contest could result in "chaos".

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