Rubio pledged continued support for Taiwan during China trade talks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio On Sunday, he reaffirmed America’s long-standing support for Taiwan and stressed that the island would not be abandoned during trade talks with China.

The president was speaking to reporters on the way to join Israel and Qatar Donald Trump In Asia, Rubio said Taiwan should not worry about trade negotiations.

“I don’t think you’ll see a trade deal where, if people are concerned, we’ll get some trade deal, or we’ll get favorable treatment on trade in exchange for getting away from Taiwan,” Rubio said. “No one thinks about it.”

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed America’s longstanding support for Taiwan. (Reuters via Fadel Sena/Pool)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has renewed efforts to push the US to change its one-China policy, which recognizes Taiwan as part of China while maintaining ties with the island.

Beijing has asked the Trump administration to officially adopt the language of “opposition”. Independence for TaiwanA change that would represent an important diplomatic victory for China, as Washington’s current position is that it “does not support” independence.

Taiwan is a sticking point in China’s relationship with the US, along with strained relations over other issues such as trade, technology transfer and human rights.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Taiwan should not worry about trade negotiations. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rollins/File Photo)

The US is Taiwan’s biggest military backer, but Trump has floated the idea of ​​paying for the island’s security.

Asked about US policy toward Taiwan while on Air Force One en route to Asia, Trump declined to answer.

“I don’t want to talk about it now. I don’t want to create any complications. The trip is already very complicated,” Trump told reporters.

Rubio discussed the International Stabilization Force, thwarting a possible attack by Hamas thanks to shared intelligence

Beijing has asked the Trump administration to officially adopt language that “opposes” Taiwan independence. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

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The US president will meet with 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 Asia tour will include stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.

Reuters contributed to this report.