(United States, 3rd) U.S. President Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is well aware of the 'consequences' China would face if it attacked Taiwan, but he refused to say explicitly whether the United States would defend Taiwan.
According to an AFP report, in an excerpt broadcast on CBS on the 2nd, Trump said that during his face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping on October 30 in Busan, South Korea, they 'absolutely did not' bring up the Taiwan issue.
The host asked, 'I know you’ve said before that Xi Jinping would not dare take military action against Taiwan during your tenure. But what if he actually did? Would you order the U.S. military to defend Taiwan?'
Trump replied, 'He (Xi Jinping) knows the answer to that question.' He said that Xi Jinping did not bring up Taiwan at all, and people were somewhat surprised by this. As for why Xi didn’t mention Taiwan, 'he understands, he knows very well.'
When asked, if mainland China launched a military attack against Taiwan, would he order the U.S. military to defend Taiwan, Trump refused to disclose his specific response and said: 'I can’t give away my secrets.' He added that Xi and his officials have also publicly said, 'We will never take any action during President Trump’s term,' because they understand the consequences.
Mainland China insists that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, and the One China policy has been the long-term U.S. strategy towards China, but the United States also provides Taiwan with weapons and helps strengthen its self-defense capability.
In response, the Chinese Embassy in the United States did not respond directly but reiterated their established position with firm language: 'The Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China.'
According to an AP report, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, did not directly respond when asked if Trump had received any assurances from Xi Jinping or Chinese officials regarding Taiwan. However, he emphasized in a statement that China 'will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China in any way.'
The statement said: 'The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair and is at the very core of China’s core interests. How to resolve the Taiwan issue concerns only the Chinese people, and only the Chinese people can decide.'
According to an AFP report, in an excerpt broadcast on CBS on the 2nd, Trump said that during his face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping on October 30 in Busan, South Korea, they 'absolutely did not' bring up the Taiwan issue.
The host asked, 'I know you’ve said before that Xi Jinping would not dare take military action against Taiwan during your tenure. But what if he actually did? Would you order the U.S. military to defend Taiwan?'
Trump replied, 'He (Xi Jinping) knows the answer to that question.' He said that Xi Jinping did not bring up Taiwan at all, and people were somewhat surprised by this. As for why Xi didn’t mention Taiwan, 'he understands, he knows very well.'
When asked, if mainland China launched a military attack against Taiwan, would he order the U.S. military to defend Taiwan, Trump refused to disclose his specific response and said: 'I can’t give away my secrets.' He added that Xi and his officials have also publicly said, 'We will never take any action during President Trump’s term,' because they understand the consequences.
Mainland China insists that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, and the One China policy has been the long-term U.S. strategy towards China, but the United States also provides Taiwan with weapons and helps strengthen its self-defense capability.
In response, the Chinese Embassy in the United States did not respond directly but reiterated their established position with firm language: 'The Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China.'
According to an AP report, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, did not directly respond when asked if Trump had received any assurances from Xi Jinping or Chinese officials regarding Taiwan. However, he emphasized in a statement that China 'will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China in any way.'
The statement said: 'The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair and is at the very core of China’s core interests. How to resolve the Taiwan issue concerns only the Chinese people, and only the Chinese people can decide.'