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VOA VIEW -- Is the opinion of "Voice of Americans", which is a private entity not affiliated in any way with the United States government or any of its agencies. The opinions expressed here, in whatever medium or format, are not necessarily the opinions of the ownership or advertisers of this web site - 0415.

    President Donald Trump announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping has given assurances that China will not invade Taiwan during his time in office “because they know the consequences.” The big question is when?  

     During a interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” President Trump revealed that the meeting with Xi did not include talks on Taiwan, while proclaiming that Beijing would not take military action on the island while he remains in office.  “He never brought it up. People were a little surprised by that. But they understand what’s gonna happen. [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump stated.

     President Trump was also directly asked whether the United States would militarily intervene if China invaded Taiwan, to which he responded by stating that the United States has maintained “strategic ambiguity,” opting to avoid confirmation in either direction. “You’ll find out if it happens and [Xi] understands the answer to that,” Trump added. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act mandates that the United States ensure Taiwan has the resources needed to defend itself. However, it does not require the United States to engage militarily should China.     

      The meeting represented the first in-person meeting between the two world leaders since 2019, which was largely spent on reaching trade agreements amid the ongoing threat of increased tariffs.  The president agreed to lower tariffs on Chinese goods from 57% to 47% while China has agreed to reopen access to rare earth minerals and resume the purchase of U.S. soybeans, although the deal has yet to be formally signed.  Meanwhile, China has ratcheted up concerns over a potential invasion of Taiwan due to an increase in large-scale military drills simulating an invasion and blockade of the island.

    The Chinese military has continued to increase the frequency and complexity of military drills encircling the island, heightening tensions in the region.  In response, Taiwan has increased its defense budget by roughly 75% in the past two years, proportionally allocating a larger share of government funds to defense than the United States.