In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier aired on May 15, Trump responded to a question about whether he would approve additional arms sales to Taiwan, stating, "I have not approved it yet. I could approve it, or I could not approve it."
He added, "I am holding off on the arms sales to Taiwan, and that depends on China. It’s a very good negotiating chip for us. $12 billion worth of arms is a lot of weapons."
Trump emphasized the geographical distance between the U.S. and Taiwan in relation to Taiwan's defense. He noted, "When you look at the situation, China is a very, very powerful country, and Taiwan is a very small island," pointing out that Taiwan is 59 miles (about 95 km) from mainland China, while the U.S. is 9,500 miles (about 15,000 km) away.
However, Trump expressed a preference for maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, stating he does not want war. He remarked, "I don’t want a situation where someone says, ‘Let’s declare independence because the U.S. is backing us.’" He added, "I think while I’m in office, they (China) won’t do anything, but honestly, when I’m not there, they might attack (Taiwan)."
Trump also voiced strong dissatisfaction with Taiwan's semiconductor industry, saying, "I would love to see all the semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan come to the U.S. It would be a great thing to do given the urgency of the situation." He expressed hope that by the end of his term, 40-50% of the global semiconductor industry would be based in the U.S.
He claimed that previous administrations allowed Taiwan to grow in the semiconductor sector without tariffs, stating, "They (Taiwan) have stolen our semiconductor (industry) for many years." He added, "We lost the semiconductor industry, but it’s all coming back."
When asked whether Taiwanese people should feel safer or less safe following the U.S.-China summit, Trump responded, "Neutral," indicating there would be no change in policy toward Taiwan.
He reiterated, "I don’t want someone to declare independence and have us go to war 9,500 miles away. I hope both Taiwan and China exercise restraint."
Additionally, Trump mentioned that he raised the issue of the release of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media tycoon imprisoned in Hong Kong, with Chinese President Xi Jinping, noting that Xi's response was "not positive." He quoted Xi as referring to Lai as a "nightmare."
This interview took place on May 15 in Beijing, the day after Trump's summit with Xi.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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