US President Donald Trump yesterday declined to comment in response to a question about whether the US would ever allow China to take control of Taiwan by force.
"I never comment on that," Trump said at the White House. "I don't want to ever put myself in that position."
Trump spoke during a Cabinet meeting in response to a reporter's question about whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president.
He said he intended to have good relations with China, including cross-border investment, despite his imposition of tariffs on goods from the country.
In a separate interview with Fox News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government had a longstanding position on Taiwan it was not going to abandon, namely being against any forced or coercive change in Taiwan's status.
"America has existing commitments that it has made to prevent that from happening and to react to it, and that would be executed on....the Chinese are aware of this as well," he said, when asked what the US would do if China attacked Taiwan.
The US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 and has long said it does not support a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan.
It does, however, maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan and remains its most important backer and arms supplier under a law that requires Washington to provide Taiwan with a means to defend itself.
The US has long stuck to a policy of "strategic ambiguity," not making clear whether it would respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan.
Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, took a different approach during his time in office, saying that US forces would defend Taiwan if China were to attack it.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS