U.S. President Donald Trump, following the U.S.-China summit in Beijing, clearly stated opposition to Taiwan’s independence efforts and adopted a reserved stance on arms sales to Taiwan, saying, “We may or may not sell.”
In a Fox News interview on the 15th (U.S. local time), Trump responded to a question about approving additional arms sales to Taiwan by stating, “I haven’t approved it yet. I may or may not approve it.” He added, “I’m temporarily withholding approval, and it depends on China. It’s a very good bargaining chip for us. US$12 billion (approximately 1.79 trillion Korean won) is a lot of weapons.”
Trump noted, “Looking at the situation, China is a very, very strong power, and Taiwan is a very small island. Taiwan is 59 miles (approximately 95 km) away from mainland China, while the U.S. is 9,500 miles (approximately 15,000 km) away.” He emphasized his preference for “maintaining the status quo” regarding Taiwan and his desire to avoid war, stating, “I don’t want a situation where someone says, ‘The U.S. is pushing us, so let’s declare independence.’” This signaled opposition to the current Democratic Progressive Party administration’s stance on Taiwan’s independence. He further remarked, “I don’t think they (China) will do anything while I’m in office, but honestly, if I’m not there, they might attack Taiwan.”
When asked whether Taiwanese should feel safer or less safe after the U.S.-China summit, Trump responded, “Neutral,” and stated there would be no policy changes toward Taiwan. He reiterated, “I don’t want a situation where someone declares independence, forcing us to cross 9,500 miles and fight a war. I hope both Taiwan and China exercise restraint.”
Trump reiterated his previous argument that Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing facilities should be relocated to the U.S. He said, “I hope all semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan come to the U.S. It would be excellent given the urgent situation.” He added that by the end of his term, he expects 40–50% of the global semiconductor industry to be located in the U.S. He also claimed that Taiwan developed because his predecessors did not impose tariffs on its semiconductor sector, stating, “They (Taiwan) stole our semiconductor industry for years. We lost it, but it’s all coming back.”
Regarding the case of imprisoned Hong Kong media figure Jimmy Lai, Trump mentioned that when he raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Xi’s response was “not positive” and that Xi described Lai as “the worst nightmare.”
