Trump's Cryptic Warning to Xi Jinping: Consequences Await If China Invades Taiwan

China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory.

United States:

President Donald Trump indicated that Xi Jinping comprehends the repercussions should China attempt to invade Taiwan, though he refrained from explicitly confirming whether the United States would defend the island, as revealed in a CBS News interview excerpt aired on Sunday.

Trump mentioned that Taiwan "never even came up as a subject" during his meeting with the Chinese president in South Korea on Thursday, which marked their first face-to-face encounter in six years.

When questioned on CBS's "60 Minutes" about whether he would deploy US forces if China took military action against Taiwan, Trump responded: "You'll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that."

During the interview conducted Friday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump declined to elaborate, stating: "I can't give away my secrets. The other side knows."

The US president asserted that Xi and his close associates had "openly said" that "'we would never do anything while President Trump is president,' because they know the consequences."

China maintains its claim over self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory. Under its longstanding policy, the United States officially recognizes only Beijing but provides Taiwan with weapons for self-defense purposes.

The issue continues to generate tensions, which Trump and Xi seemingly avoided during their summit, choosing instead to focus on alleviating the trade war between Washington and Beijing.