Trump says China and Taiwan should 'both cool it'
President Donald Trump spoke about Taiwan after a two-day visit to China, where he said he discussed Iran, and trade deals with Chinese President Xi Jingping.
TL;DR
- President Trump urged both China and Taiwan to "cool it" after his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
- Trump maintained that U.S. policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, but expressed opposition to the U.S. leaping to Taiwan's defense if attacked.
- He stated he is not looking for the U.S. to be involved in a war 9,500 miles away and has not yet approved a potential weapons sale to Taiwan.
- Trump declined to directly answer Xi Jinping when asked if the U.S. would defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack, aligning with the U.S.' "One China" policy and "strategic ambiguity."
- Analysts have raised concerns about China's stronger position to attack Taiwan due to U.S. carrier movements to the Middle East and munitions depletion from the Iran war.
- Chinese state media has not mentioned discussions about Taiwan, suggesting they did not like what was said.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that U.S. policy on Taiwan is unchanged.
- Xi Jinping delivered a stern warning to Trump that mishandling Taiwan's independence issue could put the entire U.S.-China relationship in jeopardy.
- Taiwan expert Bonnie Glaser noted that the costs of a military takeover of Taiwan would be prohibitive for China, with no certainty of success and high costs of failure, including threatening the CCP's legitimacy.