Trump cautions against Taiwan independence following China visit

US President Donald Trump on Friday warned Taiwan against declaring formal independence after wrapping up his visit to China, where Chinese President Xi Jinping urged him not to back the self-ruled island.

Trump concluded the state visit claiming to have secured “fantastic” trade deals, though few details were provided, and there appeared to be no major breakthrough with Beijing over the ongoing standoff involving Iran.

The US president invited Xi to make a return visit to Washington in September, signalling that both sides are seeking greater stability in the often strained relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

On the sensitive issue of Taiwan, Trump said he opposed any move toward formal independence and appeared to question whether the United States should intervene militarily if the island were attacked.

“I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that,” he said during an interview with Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

“I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump added.

“We’re not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that.”

While Washington officially recognises only Beijing and does not support formal Taiwanese independence, previous US administrations have generally stopped short of openly opposing it.

Under US law, Washington must provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, although it has long maintained strategic ambiguity over whether American troops would defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.

Xi had opened the summit by warning Trump that mistakes over Taiwan — whose President Lai Ching-te considers the island already independent — could trigger “conflict.”

Responding to comments from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington’s Taiwan policy remained unchanged, Taiwan’s foreign ministry thanked the United States for supporting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

No details on ‘fantastic’ deals

On Friday, Boeing confirmed that China had made an initial commitment to purchase 200 aircraft under a deal previously announced by Trump, adding that more orders could follow.

Trump also said Beijing would increase purchases of American oil and soybeans.

“We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries,” he said after strolling with Xi through the gardens of Zhongnanhai, the leadership compound beside Beijing’s Forbidden City.

“We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” Trump added, without elaborating.

Xi described the trip as a “milestone visit” and promised to send rose seeds for the White House Rose Garden.

Beyond the Boeing agreement, however, neither Beijing nor major companies announced additional formal trade deals.

Analysts said China’s restrained response reflected the overall tone of the summit, where Trump repeatedly praised Xi as a “great leader” and “friend,” while Chinese officials remained comparatively cautious.

“Trump got the optics he was looking for and the Chinese were happy to give them to him,” said Jacob Stokes of the Center for a New American Security.

Little progress on Iran

Trump had postponed the China visit once because of tensions involving Iran, which has rejected his calls for a peace agreement and responded by tightening control over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, pushing global oil prices higher.

Trump said Xi had assured him that China was not preparing military assistance for Iran, despite Israeli allegations that Beijing has supplied key missile technology to Tehran.

China’s foreign ministry said Friday that shipping lanes “should be reopened as soon as possible.”

Trump also admitted he failed to persuade Xi to release imprisoned Hong Kong democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

“He told me, Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do,” Trump told reporters.

Bonnie Glaser of the German Marshall Fund said Trump had appeared unenthusiastic about pressing the issue publicly.

“My sense is that the Chinese see that this is not a top priority for the United States,” she said.

“What Trump seems to want most is purchases of American products — that appears to be his highest priority.”

The two leaders had also been expected to discuss extending the one-year tariff truce that paused their escalating 2025 trade war during their previous meeting in October.

But Trump later told reporters aboard Air Force One that the issue “wasn’t brought up.”