WNAM MONITORING: US President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not invade Taiwan during his presidency.
“He (Xi) told me, ‘I will never do it as long as you’re president.’ President Xi told me that and I said, ‘Well, I appreciate that’, but he also said, ‘But I am very patient and China is very patient’,” Trump told Fox News’ Special Report on Friday.
On Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Washington called Taiwan “the most important and sensitive issue” in Beijing’s ties with the US.
“The US government should adhere to the one-China principle and the three US-China joint communiques, handle Taiwan-related issues prudently, and earnestly safeguard China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said.
The US is Taiwan’s leading arms supplier and major backer on the international stage, though it does not maintain official diplomatic relations with the island in line with most countries.
On Saturday, Wang Ting-yu, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and member of Taiwan’s defense and foreign affairs committee, thanked Washington for its backing.
“However … security cannot rely on the enemy’s promise, nor can it rely solely on the help from friends. Strengthening our own defense capability is the fundamental,” Wang wrote on his social media account.
