President Donald Trump said he declined to tell Xi Jinping whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked it, keeping his position unclear after a Beijing summit.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he refused to directly answer Chinese President Xi Jinping when Xi asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan if China attacked it.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after a two-day summit in Beijing, Trump said the question came up during his talks with Xi. “That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said I don’t talk about that,” Trump said.
The exchange puts one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.-China relations back at the center of attention after a summit that Trump said also included discussion of Iran and trade deals. Trump did not say what the United States would do in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, leaving his position publicly unresolved.
Asked by a reporter whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan, Trump replied, “I don’t want to say that.” He added: “There’s only one person that knows that. You know who it is? Me. I’m the only person.”
Xi had raised the stakes at the start of the Beijing meetings, warning Trump that the U.S. and China “will have clashes and even conflicts” if the issue of Taiwan’s independence is mishandled, according to Chinese state news outlet Xinhua, as reported by CNBC.
Xinhua also reported that Xi told Trump the Taiwan question is “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations” and that mishandling it could put “the entire relationship” between the two countries “in great jeopardy.”
Trump’s remarks leave unanswered how far he would be willing to go if Beijing moved militarily against Taiwan. For now, the clearest public signal from the summit is that Xi pressed him directly — and Trump chose not to reveal his answer.
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