TOKYO, March 5. /TASS/. Donald Trump, if elected US president, may conclude a favorable deal with the Chinese leadership and at the same time give up support for Taiwan, one of Japan's leading experts on military issues, Daisuke Kawai, has told TASS.

"If Trump becomes president again, he could make a big deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping. If the offers from China are attractive enough, there will be a possibility Washington may end support for Taiwan. This will be a possible factor in case of an emergency situation off the island," said Kawai, Deputy Director of the Economic Security Program at the Center for Advanced Emerging Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo.

He assumes that Trump as president will expand military support for Ukraine: "This will slow down the United States' actions in Asia. Beijing may see this as the emergence of a power vacuum. This development will also increase the probability of a direct conflict near Taiwan."

However, the expert believes that such a scenario will take time to implement.

The US in 1979 adopted the Taiwan Relations Act after breaking off diplomatic relations with the island and establishing relations with the People's Republic of China as the sole legal representative of China. This document does not imply mandatory US military assistance to Taiwan in case of conflict, but it is the basis on which Washington, in particular, sends its naval ships to demonstrate support for to the island's authorities. The US also refers to this law as a basis for providing weapons to Taiwan. Since 2003, the island has also had de facto the status of a major US ally outside NATO. The same status is enjoyed by Australia, South Korea and Japan.