US allies fret over how Trump might play his Taiwan hand with Xi
TOKYO/TAIPEI: US allies in Asia are growing anxious that President Donald Trump may be tempted to soften Washington’s support for Taiwan in return for an economic win with Beijing as he prepares to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week.
US allies in Asia are growing increasingly concerned about President Donald Trump's potential concessions to China regarding Taiwan during his upcoming summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on September 24. Trump's administration has previously described US arms sales to Taiwan as a "negotiating chip," raising fears among regional powers.
China regards Taiwan as its "core of core interests" and has never ruled out the use of force to unify the island with mainland China. Despite President Joe Biden's reassurances of US defense commitments to Taiwan, Trump has not explicitly committed to defending the island. China's former envoy to Washington, Cui Tiankai, suggested at a recent defense forum that reunification with Taiwan would bring stability beneficial to the United States.
Taiwanese officials have conveyed their concerns to the US side, hoping for a stable outcome, while Japanese officials have been trying to secure a meeting between Trump and Xi. A shift in US rhetoric on Taiwan could embolden Beijing and exacerbate tensions in the region, potentially triggering a "world-changing conflict" due to Taiwan's crucial role in semiconductor production.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
