Trump Suggests China Won't Attack Taiwan While He's in Charge

TaiwanPlus News

US President Donald Trump has suggested he would be "very unhappy" if China attempted to seize Taiwan and that he doesn't think Chinese President Xi Jinping would do so while he, Trump, is in office. Some in Taiwan are interpreting the comment as a warning for Beijing.

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00:00Taiwan's troops, trained with M1A2T Abrams tanks, bought from the U.S.,

00:08Taiwan's most important defense backer, which last month announced it would sell

00:12even more arms to Taiwan, $11 billion worth, as Taiwan works to build up its defenses in

00:19case of an attack from China, which has not ruled out taking control of the country by force.

00:25Then, this week, U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with the New York Times,

00:30made a striking statement on China's claims to Taiwan and its plans for the country.

00:36Appearing to address a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, he had this to say,

00:41That's up to him, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

00:45I've expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don't think he'll do that.

00:50I hope he doesn't. He may do it after we have a different president,

00:53but I don't think he's going to do it with me as president.

00:56In response, Taiwan's foreign ministry said the U.S. continues to demonstrate a consistent stance

01:02on Taiwan, adding that it remains in close contact with Washington.

01:06Others in Taiwan, gathered for a forum on how to deal with Beijing,

01:11are taking Trump's comments as supportive and as a warning to China.

01:15That's right.

01:45In this case, it's very important to say that Trump is very friendly, but it's also very

01:53clear to me. I'm not happy. I think this is a warning to Xi Jinping.

02:00Japanese lawmaker Seki He, who is currently on a visit to Taiwan and is known for his hard line

02:07on China, added that Beijing wouldn't take the decision to attack Taiwan lightly because the

02:12risks are great.

02:32Born in China, but now a naturalized Japanese citizen, Seki is banned from entering the country

02:37of his birth because of his criticism of Beijing. His Taiwan visit also comes

02:42with tensions running high between Tokyo and Beijing after Japan's prime minister said

02:47Japan could respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan. But even as some in Taipei view Trump's

02:54comments as a positive sign, they also come as Trump and Xi are expected to meet in just a few months.

03:00If the leaders discuss Taiwan, it may also be a big moment to see how Trump's message may change

03:06or remain consistent. Ryan Wu and Keynes Kuranta for Taiwan Plus.

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