The American president also declared on Friday that he had raised the sensitive issue of Taiwan with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during his state visit to China, without however making a commitment “in one direction or another”.
Donald Trump warned Taiwan on Friday against any declaration of independence, after Chinese President Xi Jinping sent him a message of rare firmness. The American president made these remarks just before leaving Beijing, where his visit, although having made it possible to display a certain stability between the two superpowers, did not lead to major progress, whether on trade or on Iran, China’s ally. “I don’t want someone to declare independence and, you know, then we’re supposed to go 15,000 kilometers to go to war.”said the American president, according to an extract broadcast Friday by the Fox News channel.
“We don’t want anyone to say, let’s proclaim independence because theUnited States “support us”he insisted, adding that he had not yet made a decision concerning an arms sale to the island, of which Washington is the main military supporter. “I want (Taiwan) to bring down the temperature. I want China to lower the temperature”he also declared.
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“Conflict”
On Thursday, with unusual firmness, his counterpart Xi Jinping warned: “The Taiwan issue is the most important in Sino-US relations. If it is handled well, relations between the two countries (China and the United States) can remain generally stable. If it is poorly treated, the two countries will clash, even enter into conflict.”. China considers Taiwan as one of its provinces, which it has failed to unify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. It pleads for a peaceful solution while reserving the possibility of resorting to force. These discussions on Taiwan are perhaps the most salient aspect of the summit in Beijing.
“Donald Trump got the images he wanted and the Chinese were happy to give them to him. In my opinion, it was more about reinforcing the dynamic between the two countries than obtaining specific results.notes Jacob Stokes, expert at the Center for a New American Security. Xi Jinping’s announced visit to Washington in the fall will serve as a new test for the fragile status quo between the first and second world powers. Bonnie Glaser of the German Marshall Fund thinks China will “push hard” for Donald Trump to refrain from any decision on arms sales to Taiwan until then.
“Fantastic”
Beijing and Washington have agreed to continue implementing «tous» their existing trade agreements and to establish advice for trade and investment, declared Friday the head of Chinese diplomacy in a press release, after the meeting between the two heads of state. The American president, emphatic as always, spoke to him about trade agreements “fantastic” and mentioned an order for 200 Boeing planes, which could be increased subsequently, but which was not immediately given rise to a press release from the aircraft manufacturer.
Donald Trump said he received encouraging words from Xi Jinping to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and promises not to deliver military equipment to Iran. However, official Chinese statements made no mention of this. China, for its part, highlighted the fact that the leaders of the two rival powers agreed to initiate a “constructive strategic stability relationship”. “It’s a historic visit, which will go down in history”said the Chinese president.
Donald Trump, for his part, minimized certain reasons for tension between the two superpowers, such as questions of espionage, intellectual property or cyberattacks attributed to China. Asked about this subject aboard Air Force One, he said: “What they do, you know, we do too. We also spy on them like crazy. I said (to XI): ‘We’re doing a lot of things to you that you have no idea’.
