US President Donald Trump suggested that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is well aware of the potential consequences should China attempt to invade Taiwan, but he stopped short of confirming whether the United States would intervene militarily. His remarks came in an interview excerpt aired Sunday by CBS News.
‘You’ll Find Out If It Happens’
Speaking with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump declined to give a direct answer when asked if he would send U.S. forces to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. “You’ll find out if it happens,” Trump said, adding that Xi “understands the answer to that.”
Pressed further, Trump refused to elaborate, saying, “I can’t give away my secrets. The other side knows.” The interview was conducted Friday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Taiwan ‘Never Came Up’ During Xi Meeting
Trump revealed that Taiwan “never even came up as a subject” during his recent meeting with Xi in South Korea, their first face-to-face discussion in six years. Instead, he said, the talks focused primarily on easing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
‘They Know The Consequences’
The US president went on to claim that Xi and senior Chinese officials had previously acknowledged they would not take aggressive action toward Taiwan during his presidency. “They’ve openly said, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump asserted.
A Longstanding Flashpoint
China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. The United States, under its longstanding “One China” policy, formally recognizes only Beijing but continues to supply Taiwan with weapons for self-defense.
The status of Taiwan remains one of the most sensitive and potentially explosive issues in U.S.-China relations. While Trump and Xi appeared to sidestep the topic at their summit, the underlying tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to cast a long shadow over global stability.
