‘Right now, it’s fine’: Trump brushes off questions about summit talk on Taiwan

US President Donald Trump has downplayed his conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding Taiwan's independence during a recent summit in Washington, stating that the topic was only briefly touched upon. Trump assured that "it’s fine" and that the matter was "just moving along." During the summit, Xi urged Trump to firmly oppose Taiwan's pursuit of independence, a stance that would go against the US's policy of not supporting Taiwan's independence.

US Ambassador to Beijing David Perdue reiterated that there was no change in the US's Taiwan policy, emphasizing the US's commitment to the "one China" policy, the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communiques, and the six assurances. He also affirmed that the US remains fully committed to maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait.

However, Taiwan's deputy foreign minister Wu Chih-chung welcomed the signals from Washington, stating that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in the global interest and ensuring that Taiwan's semiconductor sector continues to serve the global market is crucial for the US. Beijing Union University's Zhu Songling highlighted the positive signals from the summit, including Trump's references to the US-China alliance during World War II, which hinted at Washington's recognition of Beijing's perspective on the post-war international order.

Both sides agreed to build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness, and reciprocity. However, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, cautioned that the Trump administration's stance on Taiwan could become erratic as the US midterm elections approach, viewing the issue as a tactical bargaining chip rather than an ideological position that cannot be compromised.