Speaking to CBS’ 60 Minutes in an interview aired Sunday, Trump said the topic of Taiwan “never came up” during his discussions with Xi.
Trump revealed that the Chinese leader “never brought up” Taiwan during their meeting last week.
“He never brought it up. People were a little surprised at that,” Trump said. “But they understand what’s gonna happen. 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.”
When asked whether he would order US forces to defend Taiwan if China were to launch a military assault, Trump declined to detail his response plan. “I can’t give away my secrets,” he said, adding that his administration’s strength and clarity of purpose were deterrents in themselves.
CBS noted that Taiwan remains “probably the potential flashpoint with China in the coming years,” citing Beijing’s growing military and cyber activities around the island. Trump reiterated that the issue had not been discussed in his talks with Xi but insisted that Chinese officials were aware of the risks of any such escalation.
