Trump: Xi Won't Take Action on Taiwan While I'm in Office
President Donald Trump claims to have received assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping that Beijing will not take action against Taiwan while he remains in office. Trump said the Taiwan issue was not discussed during his meeting with Xi in South Korea, but he is confident China will not act during his term.
Regarding the possibility of the US defending Taiwan if attacked, Trump did not provide a clear answer. The US has consistently maintained "strategic ambiguity," not explicitly stating whether it will intervene, while the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 requires the US to help Taiwan develop the capability to defend itself and reject any unilateral changes in its status.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not confirm any such "assurances" to Trump. Spokesman Liu Pengyu emphasized that Taiwan is China's internal affair and that "China will not allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China in any form."
The White House did not specify when Xi or any Chinese official made these statements. Trump's remarks came during a "60 Minutes" interview taped Friday at MaraLago, his first appearance on the program since settling a lawsuit with CBS last summer. (asd)
Source: Newsmaker.id