President Donald Trump has claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not take military action against Taiwan while Trump remains in the White House.
Trump discussed the topic during a released portion of an interview with “60 Minutes” on Sunday, telling correspondent Norah O’Donnell that China understands the “consequences” that would come with attacking Taiwan.
Although Trump said that China would not attack Taiwan, the President added that the topic “never even came up as a subject” when the two world leaders met last week.
“I can’t give away my secrets. I don’t wanna be one of these guys that tells you exactly what’s gonna happen if something happens,” Trump explained. “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.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the sovereignty of Taiwan remains a highly debated topic between the U.S. and China, with the two sides viewing the issue from completely different perspectives.
Currently, the U.S. views Taiwan as an independent country, while China views Taiwan as part of its territory, with the country frequently expressing a desire to reclaim the land using force.
Despite Trump’s claims, a statement from China seemingly contradicted the claims about a potential seizure of Taiwan.
Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, did not directly respond to the comments but wrote in a statement that China “will never allow any person or force to separate Taiwan from China in any way.”
“The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair, and it is the core of China’s core interests. How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people ourselves, and only the Chinese people can decide it,” Pengyu added, per ABC News.
The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act would not require the U.S. to engage in a conflict with China if the country attempted to take over Taiwan. However, it would compel the U.S. to provide resources for Taiwan to defend itself in that instance, according to the Associated Press.
The White House has not released any further details or statements regarding discussions between the U.S. and China concerning Taiwan.