US President Donald Trump claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured him that Beijing would not try to unify Taiwan with mainland China during his term as president.
In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, Trump explained that the Taiwan issue was not a major topic when he met with Xi in South Korea recently, the first meeting between the two leaders in six years.
Their discussion is understood to have focused largely on trade issues between the US and China.
According to Trump, the Chinese leadership understands the great risks if it tries to take military action against Taiwan while he is still leading the administration in Washington.
However, he declined to elaborate on the form of response that the US might take, stressing that the information is classified as national security.
US administrations under both Republican and Democratic leadership have maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” towards Taiwan, with Washington never confirming whether it would intervene directly if China launched a military attack on the island.
US security officials have long expressed concern that Beijing could use military force to reclaim Taiwan.
The Chinese embassy has also stressed that the Taiwan question can only be decided by the Chinese people themselves and should not be interfered with by any foreign power.
The White House has not issued any further statements on the Trump-Xi meeting or when the assurances will be given.
