In a recent interview, President Donald Trump revealed that he has received assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the sensitive issue of Taiwan. Trump stated that Beijing would refrain from taking any military action toward Taiwan while he remains in office. This development comes amid ongoing discussions about U.S.-China trade tensions, which dominated Trump's talks with Xi during their meeting in South Korea.
Trump expressed confidence that the contentious issue of Taiwan would not escalate while he is president. “He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump shared in an excerpt from his interview on CBS' program “60 Minutes,” which aired on Sunday.
U.S. officials have long expressed concerns regarding the potential for China to use military force against Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act governs U.S. relations with Taiwan and establishes a policy aimed at ensuring that the island has the necessary resources for self-defense. Importantly, this act does not obligate the U.S. to intervene militarily if China were to invade.
When asked whether he would order U.S. forces to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, Trump refrained from providing a definitive answer. Historically, both Republican and Democratic administrations have maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity regarding Taiwan. This approach aims to avoid revealing the U.S.'s intentions, thereby preventing potential aggression from China. “You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that,” Trump noted, referring to Xi.
Following Trump's remarks, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, did not directly address whether Xi had provided assurances to Trump regarding Taiwan. Instead, he emphasized that China “will never allow any person or force to separate Taiwan from China in any way.” He further stated, “The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair and the core of China’s core interests. How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people ourselves, and only the Chinese people can decide it.”
The White House has not elaborated on the specifics of any assurances Trump may have received from Xi or other Chinese officials regarding military actions involving Taiwan. The interview with CBS was filmed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and marks his first appearance on the show since settling a lawsuit with CBS News concerning an interview with Kamala Harris earlier this summer. The full interview is expected to air later on Sunday.
