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Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday reaffirmed the United States' long-standing support for Taiwan and emphasized that the island will not be abandoned during trade talks with China.
Speaking to reporters while traveling between Israel and Qatar en route to join President Donald Trump in Asia, Rubio said Taiwan should not worry about trade negotiations.
“I don't think we're going to see any trade deal where, if what people are worried about is that we're going to get some trade deal, or that we're going to get favorable trade treatment in exchange for moving away from Taiwan,” Rubio said. “No one is contemplating that.”
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the United States' longstanding support for Taiwan. (Fadel Senna/Pool via Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping has renewed efforts to pressure the United States to change its one-China policy that recognizes Taiwan as part of China while maintaining relations with the island.
Beijing has asked the Trump administration to officially adopt language saying it “opposes” Taiwan independence, a change that would represent a key diplomatic victory for China since Washington's current position is that it “does not support” independence.
Taiwan is a major issue in China's relationship with the United States, with the relationship strained over other issues such as trade, technology transfers and human rights.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Taiwan should not worry about trade negotiations. (Reuters/Carlos García Rawlins/File photo)
The United States is Taiwan's largest military backer, but Trump has floated the idea that the island should pay for security.
Trump declined to answer when asked about US policy toward Taiwan while heading to Asia on Air Force One.
“I don't want to talk about it now. I don't want to create any complexity. The trip is already complex enough,” Trump told reporters.
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Beijing has asked the Trump administration to officially adopt language saying it “opposes” Taiwan independence. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
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The US president is scheduled to meet Xi next week while attending a regional summit in South Korea, the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Trump's trip to Asia will include stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
Reuters contributed to this report.
