Former President Trump mentioned that during discussions, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would refrain from invading Taiwan. Trump shared this during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report, which aired ahead of his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the Ukraine conflict.
“You could say there’s a parallel between President Xi and Taiwan, but I don’t anticipate any invasion as long as I’m around. We’ll see,” Trump remarked, referring to assurances he received from Xi, who expressed, “I will never do that as long as you are president.” Trump responded with gratitude but noted Xi’s patience, saying, “But I am very patient, China is very patient.”
Although Trump did not specify when Xi made these comments, the two leaders had their first confirmed phone call in June during Trump’s second term in office.
In April, Trump mentioned he had also received a call from Xi but didn’t provide details on the timing of that exchange.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has vowed to “reunite” with the self-governing island if necessary. Taiwan strongly opposes these claims.
On Friday, the Chinese embassy in Washington characterized Taiwan as the “most important and sensitive issue” in U.S.-China relations, urging the U.S. to respect China’s principles and avoid escalating tensions surrounding Taiwan.
While the U.S. is Taiwan’s main supplier of weapons and a critical international ally, it does not maintain official diplomatic relations with the island, similar to many other countries.
