The BRICS Times
Taiwan Not Discussed in South Korea Summit, Says Trump
President Trump noted Taiwan “never even came up as a subject” during his meeting with the Chinese president on Thursday. This first face-to-face meeting in six years took place in South Korea.
Taiwan’s Status and The US Position
President Donald Trump recently stated Xi Jinping understands the consequences if China attempts a Taiwan invasion. He declined to confirm if the United States would actively defend the island. This information comes from a CBS News interview excerpt aired Sunday.
During the CBS “60 Minutes” interview, Trump faced a direct question. He was asked if he would deploy US forces if China made a military move on Taiwan. Trump answered simply: “You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that.”
He refused to clarify his statement in the interview, which was conducted Friday at his Florida resort. Trump added, “I can’t give away my secrets. The other side knows.”
The US president then claimed that Xi and his associates “openly said” something specific. They said, “‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences.”
China maintains its claim over self-governing Taiwan as its own territory. US policy long recognizes Beijing diplomatically, but it still supplies weapons for Taiwan’s self-defense. This long-standing issue still causes tensions. Trump and Xi seemingly avoided the topic at their summit. They chose to focus instead on cooling down the Washington-Beijing trade war.
Mayur Mohta
Akshay Didwaniya
Aditya Didwaniya