Overview

• President Trump told Fox News, in comments reported by Reuters on August 17, that Xi Jinping personally assured him China would not attack Taiwan during his term.
• Neither the U.S. government nor Chinese officials has provided formal confirmation of the reported guarantee.
• Beijing has long regarded Taiwan as a renegade province and Xi previously cited 2027 as a deadline for asserting sovereignty over the island.
• Independent security experts caution that verbal assurances without diplomatic documentation do not reduce the threat of a future cross-strait conflict.
• Political observers interpret Trump’s statement as part of his campaign strategy to project strength on the global stage.