U.S. President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping told him that China would not invade Taiwan during his time in office.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News on Friday, ahead of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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During the network’s Special Report program, Trump said: “I’ll tell you, there’s a very similar situation with President Xi regarding China and Taiwan, but I don’t think it will happen while I’m here. We’ll see.”
He added: “He told me, ‘I would never do it while you’re president.’ President Xi told me this, and I said, ‘I appreciate that,’ but he added, ‘But I’m very patient, and China is very patient.’”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump and Xi had their first confirmed call during Trump’s second term in June, and Trump said in April that Xi had called him, though he did not specify the timing of that call.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has pledged to “reunify” it with the mainland, using force if necessary, while Taiwan strongly rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
Although Washington is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and largest international supporter, the United States – like most countries – does not maintain official diplomatic relations with the island, according to The Guardian.
