WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump says that Chinese President Xi Jinping has given him assurances that Beijing would take no action toward its long-stated goal of unifying Taiwan with mainland China while he is in office.
Trump stated that the contentious issue of Taiwan did not come up in his talks with Xi on Thursday in South Korea, which largely focused on U.S.-China trade tensions. However, he expressed confidence that China would refrain from taking action on Taiwan during his presidency.
“Xi has openly said, and his representatives have communicated at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ knowing the implications of such actions,” Trump mentioned in a segment of an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday.
U.S. officials have been consistently worried about the possibility of China employing military force against Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that Beijing considers part of its territory. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act establishes U.S. relations with the island but does not obligate the U.S. to intervene militarily if China attacks, while asserting U.S. policy in supporting Taiwan’s self-defense.
When asked whether he would order U.S. forces to protect Taiwan if China were to make an aggressive move, Trump did not provide a direct answer. The U.S. has historically maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding its potential military response to any move by China against Taiwan.
“You’ll see what happens if it occurs, and he understands the ramifications,” Trump stated further regarding his dynamic with Xi.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington did not directly address Trump’s claims about being assured by Xi but emphasized that China is resolute in never allowing any separation of Taiwan from China. The statement reinforced that the Taiwan question is a core matter exclusively for the Chinese people.
Despite the controversy surrounding Taiwan, the White House has not clarified any specifics on the reported assurances Trump mentioned from Xi or Chinese officials.
This segment of the interview was recorded at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, marking his re-appearance on the show after resolving a related lawsuit with CBS over a past interview featuring Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump stated that the contentious issue of Taiwan did not come up in his talks with Xi on Thursday in South Korea, which largely focused on U.S.-China trade tensions. However, he expressed confidence that China would refrain from taking action on Taiwan during his presidency.
“Xi has openly said, and his representatives have communicated at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ knowing the implications of such actions,” Trump mentioned in a segment of an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday.
U.S. officials have been consistently worried about the possibility of China employing military force against Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that Beijing considers part of its territory. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act establishes U.S. relations with the island but does not obligate the U.S. to intervene militarily if China attacks, while asserting U.S. policy in supporting Taiwan’s self-defense.
When asked whether he would order U.S. forces to protect Taiwan if China were to make an aggressive move, Trump did not provide a direct answer. The U.S. has historically maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding its potential military response to any move by China against Taiwan.
“You’ll see what happens if it occurs, and he understands the ramifications,” Trump stated further regarding his dynamic with Xi.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington did not directly address Trump’s claims about being assured by Xi but emphasized that China is resolute in never allowing any separation of Taiwan from China. The statement reinforced that the Taiwan question is a core matter exclusively for the Chinese people.
Despite the controversy surrounding Taiwan, the White House has not clarified any specifics on the reported assurances Trump mentioned from Xi or Chinese officials.
This segment of the interview was recorded at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, marking his re-appearance on the show after resolving a related lawsuit with CBS over a past interview featuring Vice President Kamala Harris.
