Advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump have reportedly expressed concern that China could attack Taiwan within the next five years, especially after the summit held this week in Beijing between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to these advisers, Xi is trying to reposition China as a power equal to the U.S., asserting that Taiwan is its territory. The issue of the Asian island was one of the central points of the bilateral meeting.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump stated that he is not encouraging Taiwan to seek independence and that he does not want a war with China over this issue. “I’m not looking for anyone to become independent. And, you know, should we travel 15,288 kilometers to wage a war? I’m not looking for that,” the president said.
Trump also commented that he talked about Taiwan “all night” with Xi and suggested that after leaving the presidency, the Chinese leader might try to “take” the island. “Now, with me, I don’t think they’ll do anything while I’m here. When I’m not, I think so, to be honest,” he stated.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that American policy regarding Taiwan has not changed after the meeting. “The United States policy with respect to the Taiwan issue remains unchanged to this day, as well as after the meeting we held here,” Rubio declared.
On Saturday, Trump posted nearly a dozen photos with Xi in Beijing on his Truth Social network, trying to demonstrate the success of the meeting.