Trump says Xi knows his stance on Taiwan after talks

“We didn’t talk about it too much. Right now, it’s fine. It’s just moving along. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about Taiwan. He understands very much how I feel,” Trump said.

His comments came after China’s account of the bilateral meeting said that Xi Jinping called on the United States to oppose Taiwan independence. While Trump did not confirm the US position, he also did not indicate that he was prepared to meet Xi Jinping’s demand to change that position.

The official US position is that it does not support Taiwan independence and opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by either Beijing or Taipei.

Bloomberg writes that Xi Jinping’s call for the United States to openly oppose independence would likely have caused shock in Taiwan if Trump had supported it.

The media added that Washington adheres to a longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity over whether it would help Taiwan in the event of an attack by China, while reserving the right to use force. The United States has never explicitly stated whether it would actually intervene.

Since coming to power in 2012, Xi Jinping has set the key goal of bringing Taiwan under China’s control. He has vowed to achieve this someday, by force if necessary.

As China’s leader approaches an expected fourth term in office, he is increasing diplomatic pressure aimed at isolating the democratic semiconductor manufacturing hub and blocking future arms sales from Washington.

What else is important to know

In spring 2026, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping also held a meeting. Afterward, the American leader said he did not support Taiwan’s official declaration of independence and wanted to avoid escalation in relations with China.

According to UPI, Trump’s advisers believe China could attack Taiwan within the next five years.