‘You’ll find out if it happens’: Trump says Xi 'understands the consequences' of invading Taiwan

Trump says Xi Jinping understands 'consequences' if China invades Taiwan

US President Donald Trump has said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping “understands the consequences” if China were to invade Taiwan, while declining to confirm whether the United States would intervene militarily to defend the island.

In an interview with CBS News broadcast on Sunday, Trump was asked on 60 Minutes whether he would deploy US forces if China moved against Taiwan. “You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that,” he responded. Pressed for details, Trump refused to elaborate, saying, “I can’t give away my secrets. The other side knows.”

Trump said that Taiwan “never even came up as a subject” when he met Xi in South Korea on Thursday, their first face-to-face meeting in six years, held on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju.

According to Trump, Xi and his advisers have “openly said” that they “would never do anything while President Trump is president, because they know the consequences.”

China considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to bring it under its control, by force if necessary. The United States, while recognizing Beijing under its “One China” policy, continues to supply Taiwan with defensive weaponry.

At their meeting, Trump and Xi appeared to sidestep the Taiwan issue, instead focusing on efforts to ease tensions and boost trade cooperation. Xi said both countries should “jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world.”