US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report.
“He told me: ‘I will never do it as long as you’re president.’ President Xi told me that, and I said: ‘Well, I appreciate that,’ but he also said: ‘But I am very patient, and China is very patient,’” Trump said.
Trump and Xi held their first confirmed call of Trump’s second presidential term in June.
In Taipei, Taiwanese academics said Trump’s remarks might reflect the “performative” nature of his diplomacy, which is often preoccupied with projecting an image of personal strength.
Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said Xi was more likely to have made a vague comment rather than a formal pledge, if he made any promise at all.
Shen added that Beijing’s promises of peace are meaningless, as China would not hesitate to tear up any agreement if it decided to seize Taiwan by force.
Taiwan must continue to closely monitor China’s military capabilities and strategic conditions to assess the likelihood of an invasion, he said.
Prospect Foundation deputy executive director Song Cheng-en (宋承恩) said that Trump had avoided mentioning Taiwan in the past, typically limiting his remarks to his cordial personal relations with Xi or trade cooperation with China.
This was the first time that he mentioned Taiwan in a positive manner, showing he is cognizant of the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait, Song said.
If Trump’s account is accurate, it suggests Washington and Beijing have candidly discussed the possibility of a Chinese military assault on Taiwan, he added.
Xi’s reported comment that he had “patience” highlighted that he did not deny intentions to invade Taiwan, but is simply biding his time, he said.
This is a dangerous signal, as it reveals that China is no longer concealing its ambitions and that Washington is fully aware of this trajectory, he added.
Taiwan cannot afford to lower its guard simply because of Trump’s “guarantee,” Song said.
The nation must continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities to ensure Beijing understands that any rash action would come at a high cost, which would help prevent Taiwan from being reduced to a bargaining chip between major powers, he said.
The Chinese embassy in Washington on Friday described the topic of Taiwan as “the most important and sensitive issue” in China-US relations, adding the US government should adhere to the “one China” principle and the three US-China joint communiques.
While the US is a top military equipment supplier to Taipei, the US has traditionally avoided making an explicit security guarantee, instead maintaining a policy of strategic ambiguity.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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