“I don’t want anybody to go free. And, you know, we have to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that,” he said on Fox News’ “Special Report with Brett Baier.”
“I want them to calm down. I want China to calm down,” Trump said.
“We don’t want war, and if you keep it that way, I think China will have no problem with it.”
But Trump said “nothing has changed” in US policy toward Taiwan.
The United States only recognizes Beijing and does not support formal independence by Taiwan, but historically it has stopped short of explicitly saying it opposes independence.
Under US law, the United States is required to provide Taiwan with weapons to defend itself, but it has been unclear whether US forces would come to the island’s aid.
Xi opened the summit with a warning shot at Taiwan, whose President Lai Ching-tey considers the island already independent, making the announcement unnecessary.