Trump Warns Taiwan Not to Declare Independence from China
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Former US President Donald Trump warned Taiwan not to formally declare independence from China. The statement was made by Trump after attending a two-day bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
“I don’t want anyone to be independent,” the US president told Fox News on Friday, at the end of the summit with Xi Jinping, in Beijing, as quoted on Saturday (16/5/2026).
According to a BBC report, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had previously stated that they do not need to declare formal independence because they already consider themselves to be a sovereign nation.
The US has long supported Taiwan, but often has to adjust the form of its support in order to maintain diplomatic relations with China.
Trump had previously said that he was “not making any commitments” about Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
The Washington position has always been not to support Taiwanese independence, while maintaining relations with Beijing.
Beijing itself has been very vocal in expressing its disapproval of the Taiwanese president, whom they have previously described as a “troublemaker” and a “destroyer of cross-strait peace”.
Many Taiwanese people consider themselves to be part of a separate country, although most support maintaining the status quo where Taiwan does not declare independence from China nor unite with it.
In his interview with Fox News, Trump reaffirmed that US policy on the issue has not changed.
“You know, we should be traveling 9,500 miles (15,289 km) to go to war. I don’t want that. I want them to be calm. I want China to be calm,” he said.
On the flight back to Washington, the US president told reporters that he and Xi had spoken extensively about Taiwan.
Xi “does not want to see an independence movement,” Trump said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a separate interview that the Taiwan issue is the most important issue in China-US relations.
“If mishandled, the two countries could clash or even conflict,” Xi Jinping said, as quoted by the BBC.
(hsy/hsy)