Donald Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping was billed as a diplomatic breakthrough in the Republican President’s books. But behind closed doors, his own advisers are said to believe it may have brought Taiwan one step closer to the gravest danger it has faced in decades.
Senior advisers to US President Donald Trump privately fear that the most significant outcome of his recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping may be a sharply increased risk that China will move against Taiwan within the next five years, according to a report by US news outlet Axios.
What Trump’s Advisers Are Worried About
Despite the warm atmosphere that surrounded the Trump-Xi summit, those close to the US president are said to be deeply uneasy about Beijing’s intentions.
One Trump adviser told Axios that Xi appears to be repositioning China on the world stage, telling Washington, “We’re not a rising power. We’re your equal. And Taiwan is mine.”
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“This trip signalled a much higher likelihood that Taiwan will be on the table in the next five years,” they said.
“There’s no way we can be ready economically, the chip supply chain won’t be anywhere close to self-sufficiency. For CEOs, and really the economy as a whole, there’s no more pressing issue than the supply chain for chips,” they said, reflecting on what a Chinese move against Taiwan could mean for global technology markets.
Trump’s ‘Negotiating Chip’ Comment Unsettles Taipei
The president’s own remarks have raised concerns within Trump’s inner circle and in Taiwan. In an interview with Fox News, which aired after Trump concluded his visit to China, he described a pending arms package to Taiwan as a useful piece of leverage with Beijing.
Asked whether he would approve a long-delayed 14 billion dollar arms deal for Taiwan, Trump said the matter hinged on China. “I’m holding that in abeyance, and it depends on China,” he said. “It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It’s a lot of weapons.”
A 11 billion dollar arms package for Taiwan had already been approved by Trump and the US Congress in December. Beijing responded by conducting live-fire military exercises around the island.
During the summit, China formally described Taiwan as “the most important issue in China-US relations”.
Trump also raised eyebrows in Taiwan by calling on the island’s world-leading microchip industry to relocate to the United States. “I’d like to see everybody making chips over in Taiwan come into America,” he said, calling such a move “the greatest thing you can do.”
Taiwan Pushes Back, Insists On Its Status
Taipei didn’t waste any time responding to the statements coming from Washington. Taiwan’s presidential office said on Saturday that “the consistent US policy and position toward Taiwan remain unchanged.”
Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo, referring to Taiwan by its official name, the Republic of China, said, “The Republic of China is a sovereign, independent, democratic country; this is self-evident, and Beijing’s claims are therefore without merit.” She added that Taiwan remains grateful for Trump’s support and noted that US arms sales to the island are required by US law.
The statements came in direct response to a warning from Trump, who said he was not seeking for Taiwan to declare formal independence. “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that,” he told Fox News.
The United States does not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But it has also stopped short of saying explicitly that it opposes Taiwanese independence, a delicate balancing that Trump’s recent comment disrupted.