Rubio says Taiwan will come up at Trump-Xi summit next week

Rubio said Tuesday that Taiwan “will be a topic of conversation” when Trump meets Xi Jinping next week, warning against destabilizing actions.koreatimes
The summit, Trump’s first presidential visit to China, was delayed from March due to the U.S. military campaign in Iran, according to Reuters.aljazeera
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Rubio last week that Taiwan is the “biggest risk point” in bilateral ties, urging Washington to “keep its promises.”reuters

Rubio Says Taiwan on Agenda for Trump-Xi Meeting Next Week

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Tuesday that Taiwan will be a topic of discussion when President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14-15, warning against any “destabilizing” actions regarding the self-governing island as the high-stakes summit approaches.

“I’m sure Taiwan will be a topic of conversation; it always is,” Rubio said during a White House press briefing, adding that neither Washington nor Beijing has an interest in seeing instability in the Indo-Pacific region.koreatimes

A Familiar Flashpoint

Rubio’s remarks come less than a week after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the secretary of state in an April 30 phone call that Taiwan remains “the biggest risk point” in U.S.-China relations. Wang urged Washington to “keep its promises and make the right choices” on the island, which Beijing claims as its own territory and has not ruled out taking by force.taiwannews

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by expressing concern over what it called China’s “menacing comments” about the island’s status. The U.S. remains Taiwan’s most important international backer and largest arms supplier, a posture that has long drawn Beijing’s ire.apnews

Summit Stakes

Trump’s visit to Beijing — the first by a U.S. president in eight years — was originally scheduled for late March but was postponed due to the U.S. military campaign in Iran. The trip now carries added weight as the administration seeks Chinese cooperation on the Iran conflict, trade tensions, and fentanyl while navigating November’s midterm elections.youtube

According to the Brookings Institution, analysts expect the summit agenda to span Iran, trade, the Russia-Ukraine war, and bilateral investment mechanisms, in addition to Taiwan. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump called the visit “an important trip,” according to Reuters.eurasiareview

Chinese military flights near Taiwan have dropped sharply in recent months — down 46.5 percent compared to the same period last year, according to data compiled by Secure Taiwan Associate Corporation — a trend some analysts attribute in part to Beijing’s desire for a smooth summit.reuters

Rubio has consistently maintained the U.S. position against any forced change in Taiwan’s status, telling Fox News last October that “no one is contemplating” trading Taiwan’s security for favorable trade terms with Beijing.foxnews