Trump: "Xi Jinping promised no invasion of Taiwan during my term"

Korea Economic Daily

Summary

President Donald Trump conveyed that President Xi Jinping promised there would be no invasion of Taiwan during Trump's presidency.
However, U.S. intelligence agencies continue to assess a significant possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan by 2027.
As military tensions in the Taiwan Strait escalate, U.S.-China relations and regional security issues may become important variables for investors.

Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, claimed that he received a promise from Xi Jinping, the President of China, that there would be no invasion of Taiwan during his term in office.

On the 15th (local time), President Trump revealed in a Fox News interview held before his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that "President Xi said, 'As long as you are president, that will never happen.'"

President Trump also relayed that when he thanked President Xi, Xi responded, "China and I are very patient."

He compared the issue of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan to the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing, "I believe that as long as I am president, such a thing would never occur."

China defines Taiwan as "part of its own territory" and has consistently maintained that it would not hesitate to use military force if necessary.

With rising military tensions surrounding the Taiwan Strait, U.S. intelligence and military agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have repeatedly suggested that the likelihood of China invading Taiwan by 2027 remains high.

Se-sung Oh, reporter at Hankyung.com, sesung@hankyung.com