China won’t invade Taiwan while I am in office: Trump

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office.

Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report.”

“He told me, ‘I will never do it as long as you’re president.’ President Xi told me that, and I said, ‘Well, I appreciate that,’ but he also said, ‘But I am very patient, and China is very patient,’” Trump said.

Trump and Xi held their first confirmed call of Trump’s second presidential term in June.

Trump also said in April that Xi had called him but did not specify when that call took place.

China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to “reunify” with the democratic and separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Friday described the topic of Taiwan as “the most important and sensitive issue” in China-US relations.

“The US government should adhere to the one-China principle and the three US-China joint communiqués, handle Taiwan-related issues prudently, and earnestly safeguard China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement.

Although Washington is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and international backer, the US — like most countries — has no formal diplomatic ties with the island.

While Taiwan’s government has yet to respond to Trump’s remarks, on Saturday a senior lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party said that Taiwan was grateful for support from “our major ally.”

“However ... Security cannot rely on the enemy’s promise, nor can it rely solely on the help from friends. Strengthening our own defence capability is fundamental!” Wang Ting-yu, who sits on the Taiwan parliament’s defence and foreign affairs committee, wrote on his Facebook page.

Earlier, Taipei’s top China-policy maker said that Taiwan’s people should spurn China’s events to commemorate the end of World War Two, including a military parade in Beijing, given Chinese “distortion” of history and threats against the island.

China, which views democratic Taiwan as its own territory, invited Taiwanese veterans who fought against Japan to the parade next month which will be overseen by President Xi Jinping.

Taiwan has denounced China for using this year’s 80th anniversary of the war’s end for political purposes against Taipei, saying Beijing has falsely claimed it was the Communist Party that led the fighting against Japan rather than the Republic of China government, which at the time ruled China.

The republican government then fled to Taiwan in 1949 after finally being defeated by Mao Zedong, who then established the People’s Republic of China, while Republic of China remains Taiwan’s official name.

In a video released by his office, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said the People’s Republic of China did not even exist during World War Two.

“The Chinese Communist regime has repeatedly distorted the facts in recent years, claiming that the war against Japan was led by the Communist Party, and has even fabricated the notion that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China,” Chiu said.

The government urges Taiwan’s people to “unite and jointly defend national sovereignty and dignity” and not take part in China’s war commemorations, like the parade, he added.

People should instead participate in Taiwan’s own events to express their resolve to protect Taiwan and oppose aggression, Chiu said.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Agencies