US President Donald Trump said Friday he made no commitment to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding Taiwan and will decide soon on a $14 billion arms deal with the island.
Bond.az reports that Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "On Taiwan he feels very strongly, I made no commitment either way." He said he and Xi "talked a lot" about the issue, and that the Chinese leader "does not want to see a fight for independence, because that would be a very strong confrontation."
Trump said he would "make a determination over the next fairly short period" after speaking to the person "that's running Taiwan," without specifying who he means. He added that US policy on Taiwan is unchanged and that he has not approved weapons for Taiwan yet.
The remarks follow Xi's warning Thursday that the two nations could descend into conflict if the Taiwan issue is mismanaged. Taiwan is a democratically self-governing island that China claims as its territory.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, referring to Washington's position of supporting the island without recognizing its sovereignty. China has opposed the pending US arms package to Taiwan and asked the US to clarify that it does not support the island's independence.
