Khaberni - The American President, Donald Trump, said that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is aware of "the consequences" that would follow should his country invade Taiwan, but he declined to clarify whether the United States would defend the island, according to an excerpt from an interview with "CBS News" aired on Sunday.
Trump said that Taiwan "was never discussed as a subject" when he met Xi in South Korea on Thursday in their first face-to-face meeting in six years.
When asked if he would command American forces to act if China attacked Taiwan militarily, Trump answered, "You'll know if it happens, and he knows the answer."
However, he refused to clarify what he meant in the interview conducted Friday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding, "I can't reveal my secrets. The other side knows."
The American President confirmed that Xi and those close to him "explicitly said that they would not do anything while President Trump is in office, because they recognize the consequences."
China considers Taiwan, which has autonomous governance, a part of its territory. Following a policy spanning decades, the United States recognizes only Beijing, but it supplies the island with weapons for self-defense.
This issue continues to provoke tensions, while it seems Trump and Xi avoided it in their summit, focusing instead on easing trade tensions between the two countries.
