Donald Trump has claimed that Chinese president Xi Jinping promised not to invade Taiwan while he remains in the White House, as the US leader positions himself as a global dealmaker on some of the world’s most volatile conflicts.
Speaking en route to the Alaska summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday, Mr Trump told Fox News he “appreciates” Mr Xi’s patience.
“I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Mr Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report” onboard Air Force One.
“He told me, ‘I will never do it as long as you’re president.’ President Xi told me that, and I said, ‘Well, I appreciate that,’ but he also said, ‘But I am very patient, and China is very patient.” Mr Trump said.
The US and its allies have long sought to deter China from taking military action against Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has threatened to seize by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claim.
The Chinese embassy in Washington on Friday described the topic of Taiwan as “the most important and sensitive issue” in China-US relations, without referring to Mr Trump’s statement.
“The US government should adhere to the one-China principle and the three US-China joint communique, handle Taiwan-related issues prudently, and earnestly safeguard China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement.
Taiwan is yet to respond to Mr Trump’s remarks.
Mr Trump and Mr Xi held their first confirmed call under the US president’s second presidential term in June.
Later in April, Mr Trump said that the Chinese president had called him, but did not specify when that call took place.
His comments on Taiwan come as he presses Russia and Ukraine towards a peace deal, repeating his campaign promise to end the war “within 24 hours” of taking office.
He has already claimed credit for easing or resolving several other disputes, including tensions between India and Pakistan in May, the Cambodia–Thailand border standoff in July, and flare-ups involving Congo and Rwanda, and Serbia and Kosovo.
By citing Mr Xi’s assurances alongside his push for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Mr Trump is seeking to cast himself as the central broker of peace in multiple global crises –a narrative he has openly linked to his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize.
