U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping told him that China would not invade Taiwan during Trump's presidency.
On August 15 (local time), President Trump made this remark during a Fox News interview held ahead of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Regarding the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Trump said, "President Xi told me, 'I would never do that while you are president.' So I expressed my appreciation for that, and President Xi responded, 'But both China and I are very patient.'"
He went on to compare the China-Taiwan issue to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing, "I believe that as long as I am in office, such an event (an invasion of Taiwan) could never happen."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington reportedly did not respond to requests for comment on this matter.
President Trump and President Xi held their first official phone call since the start of Trump’s second administration this past June. Trump also revealed that President Xi called him last April, though he did not disclose the exact timing of the call.
China regards Taiwan as part of its own territory and has declared its willingness to use force, if necessary, to achieve "unification" with Taiwan. The United States is a major arms supplier and ally to Taiwan, but does not maintain official diplomatic relations with the island.
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