After returning from his tour of Asia, U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized that China would not take military action against Taiwan during his time in office.
In an exclusive interview with CBS News program “60 Minutes” aired on the 2nd (local time), President Trump stated, “Not only President Xi Jinping but also his aides have publicly said, ‘Nothing will happen while President Trump is in office,'” adding that “they know the consequences well.”
President Trump revealed that the Taiwan issue was not discussed during the U.S.-China summit held in Korea on the 30th of last month, with the meeting primarily focusing on trade conflicts. He mentioned, “We did not discuss the Taiwan issue at all during the summit with President Xi, and he did not bring it up,” noting that while some might find that surprising, “they know what will happen.”
When asked if the U.S. is willing to deploy military forces to defend Taiwan if China takes military action, Trump responded, “That will not happen.” When further questioned on what actions the U.S. would take if such an event occurred, he said, “I cannot disclose my secrets,” avoiding specific comments.
The U.S. government has long expressed concerns about the possibility of China attempting to unify Taiwan by force. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, whereas Taiwan operates as an independent democratic nation in practice.
The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 does not oblige the U.S. to intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion but supports Taiwan’s ability to defend itself and defines U.S. policy as deterring any attempts by China to alter Taiwan’s status quo by force.