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 Trump is in office.
In an excerpt from his recent interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, aired Sunday, Trump asserted that his discussions with Xi in South Korea were primarily focused on U.S.-China trade tensions and did not cover Taiwan directly. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence in the lack of military actions from China regarding Taiwan during his presidency.
According to Trump, Xi’s representatives communicated at meetings, “We would never do anything while President Trump is president,” indicating an awareness of potential repercussions.
The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act outlines U.S. policy concerning the democratic island claimed by Beijing, allowing for military support to Taiwan without explicitly mandating U.S. intervention in the event of an invasion.
When pressed on whether he would deploy U.S. forces to defend Taiwan if China attacked, Trump refrained from committing to a clear answer, reflecting the long-standing U.S. policy of "strategic ambiguity" regarding Taiwan's defense.
In response to Trump's claims, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, did not affirm or deny whether any assurances had been given about Taiwan but reasserted China's position against any separation efforts regarding Taiwan.
