US President Donald Trump has said that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him Beijing will not take action on Taiwan during his presidency.
In a CBS “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday, Trump stated, “He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences.”
The discussions between Trump and Xi on Thursday in South Korea focused mainly on trade issues and did not directly address Taiwan, Trump noted. Despite this, the president expressed confidence that China would refrain from any moves toward unifying Taiwan with the mainland while he is in office.
When asked whether he would order US forces to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, Trump said, “You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that.”
China’s response came from Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, who stated that China “will never allow any person or force to separate Taiwan from China in any way.” He emphasized that Taiwan is a core internal matter and that only the Chinese people can decide its future. Liu did not directly address whether Trump had received any assurances from Xi or other Chinese officials regarding Taiwan.
The issue of Taiwan remains sensitive for the US. American officials have long worried about the possibility of Chinese military action against the self-governed island, which Beijing considers part of its territory. The US provides Taiwan with defensive resources but is not legally obligated to intervene militarily under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.
Both Republican and Democratic administrations have maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding Taiwan. This approach deliberately avoids revealing whether the US would intervene if China attempted to change Taiwan’s status by force.
Trump’s remarks underscore ongoing tensions in US-China relations and the delicate balance Washington maintains on Taiwan. While trade dominated the recent meetings with Xi, the issue of Taiwan continues to be a central concern for US policymakers and allies in the region.
No further details have been provided by the White House on when Xi or other Chinese officials allegedly conveyed that military action on Taiwan would be off-limits for the duration of Trump’s presidency. Observers say the comments highlight the unpredictable and high-stakes nature of US-China diplomacy in East Asia.
As global attention remains focused on the Taiwan Strait, Trump’s claims of assurance from Xi add a new layer to ongoing debates about American commitments and strategic policy in the region.
