Rubio says US’s Taiwan policy ‘unchanged’ despite Xi’s warning to Trump
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the U.S. position toward Taiwan is “unchanged” after discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Beijing has long insisted that Taiwan is a part of China, with this insistence serving as the main area of contention with the United States. When asked if the U.S. had changed its position toward Taiwan after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Xi, Rubio indicated the meeting was irrelevant to the wider U.S. position.
“U.S. policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged as of today and as of the meeting that we had here today. It was raised; they always raise it on their side, we always make clear our position, and we move on,” Rubio said.
Rubio’s comments reflect the U.S. telling of events, with the U.S. readout of the closed-door meeting between Trump and Xi not even mentioning Taiwan. A readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, related Xi’s comments threatening a future conflict over the island.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” Xi was quoted as saying. “If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
Trump did not acknowledge Xi’s statement on Taiwan and moved to the next topic of discussion, the Washington Post reported, citing an anonymous White House official.
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan whereby it doesn’t explicitly commit to defending the island in the event of an attack nor commit to not defending it. The lack of an explicit position has discouraged a Chinese invasion while allowing for courteous relations between the two superpowers.
The U.S. also doesn’t explicitly recognize the legitimacy of the government in Taipei despite extensive ties with Taiwan.
Trump’s visit to China, his first during his second term, saw Xi bring out the red carpet for the president and his delegation, which included Rubio. The visit has taken on a decidedly positive tone, with the two leaders openly praising each other and their respective countries.
Trump addressed comments from Xi that the U.S. was a nation in decline in a Thursday Truth Social post, saying he agreed it was under former President Joe Biden but that it was now on the rise again.
“Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline. On that, I fully agree with President Xi! But now, the United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world, and hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!” Trump wrote.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.
Sign in to leave a comment.