US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week.
“I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.”
“We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said.
Photo: AFP
Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China. China has never relinquished the threat of force to see through its unification with Taiwan, while Taipei has forged closer military ties with the US.
The White House said that Trump would meet with Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday next week.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Wednesday told lawmakers in Taipei that the US has assured Taiwan that its interests would not be harmed when Trump meets with Xi at the APEC.
“The US side has repeatedly told us that it remains steadfast in its support for Taiwan and that its exchanges with China will not harm Taiwan’s interests,” Lin said during a legislative session.
Reuters reported that Trump would likely raise the issue of releasing Jimmy Lai (黎智英), the imprisoned founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily.
“It’s on my list. I’m going to ask... We’ll see what happens,” Reuters cited Trump as saying.
The White House said that Trump would be on a five-day trip to Asia, visiting Malaysia and Japan before arriving in South Korea.
It is Trump’s first trip to the region since he was sworn in in January, and would be the first time he sits down with Xi during his second term in the White House.
Asked why he previously said China would not make any moves on Taiwan, Trump said it would be very risky to do so.
“I hope they won’t. We’ll have to see,” Trump said. “Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t. I hope they won’t. I think it would be very dangerous for them to do.”
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