Trump says he has assurances from Beijing of no attack on Taiwan during his term
The US president declined to elaborate, telling American television viewers that ‘I can’t give away my secrets’
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Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
“You’ll find out if it happens, and [Xi] understands the answer to that,” Trump said when asked by the interviewer whether he would order US forces to defend Taiwan.
“He never brought it up. People were a little surprised at that. He never brought it up because he understands it and he understands it very well.”
However, he declined to elaborate, noting that “I can’t give away my secrets … the other side knows”.
“But they understand what’s going to happen. And 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,” he said.