NEW YORK, October 28. /TASS/. Chinese President Xi Jinping will try to persuade US leader Donald Trump to soften support for Taiwan at their upcoming meeting, the New York Times writes.
According to the newspaper, Xi won’t focus on the current trade tensions with the US but will pursue "another, longer goal: persuading the American president to soften US support for Taiwan."
The paper points out that "Trump has complained that Taiwan spends too little on its military and unfairly dominates semiconductor production." In addition, the US has imposed tariffs on the island and "scaled back some dealings with Taiwan." That said, Xi could partially achieve his goals, particularly because Trump "wants to focus on trade." The New York Times notes that Xi "probably wants Mr. Trump to state that the United States does not support independence for Taiwan." "Saying that would echo what previous US administrations have said, but a clear statement of it by the US president would be welcomed by Beijing," the paper adds.
The New York Times believes that if the meeting proves successful, Xi will expect to hold a full summit with Trump early next year.
Xi and Trump are set to meet on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the South Korean city of Busan on October 30. Trump stated earlier that he expected to achieve a "fair" agreement on bilateral trade. He also announced plans to discuss the Ukraine conflict and the prospects of China joining the nuclear arms reduction process.
Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949, when the remaining Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), fled to the island after being defeated in China’s civil war. Since then, Taiwan has preserved the flag and some other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed in mainland China before the Communists came to power. However, Beijing considers the island to be one of its provinces. Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, establishing ties with China. While recognizing the One China policy, the US continues to engage with the Taipei administration and provide weapons to the island. According to China’s estimates, the US has provided over $70 billion in military assistance to Taiwan in recent years.