President Donald Trump stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured him that Beijing will refrain from pursuing unification with Taiwan during his term in office.
This revelation came in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired on Sunday, marking Trump's first appearance on the program in five years.
The discussion, taped at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday, focused primarily on U.S.-China trade tensions.
Trump noted that the Taiwan issue did not arise during his recent meeting with Xi in South Korea last week.
Trump expressed confidence in China's restraint, citing direct statements from Xi and his officials.
"He has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, 'We would never do anything while President Trump is president,' because they know the consequences," Trump said.
U.S. officials have historically worried about potential Chinese military action against Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy that Beijing claims as its territory.
The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act guides U.S. policy, obligating America to provide Taiwan with defensive resources and oppose any unilateral status changes, though it stops short of mandating military intervention.
Trump maintained the longstanding U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity when pressed on whether he would deploy forces to defend the island if attacked.
"You’ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that," he told correspondent Norah O'Donnell.
The White House offered no additional details on the timing or context of these assurances from Chinese officials.
China's embassy in Washington responded indirectly to inquiries about the reported pledges.
Spokesman Liu Pengyu emphasized Beijing's firm stance in a statement.
"The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair, and it is the core of China’s core interests," the statement read.
It added that China "will never allow any person or force to separate Taiwan from China in any way" and that resolution lies solely with the Chinese people.
O'Donnell highlighted Taiwan as a potential flashpoint, noting China's increasing military encroachments into the island's waterways, airspace, and cyberspace.
Trump reiterated that the topic "never came up" in his talks with Xi, surprising some observers.
This interview follows Trump's settlement of a lawsuit with CBS News over a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris, without an apology from the network.
The full "60 Minutes" segment, covering topics like Venezuela, immigration, and the government shutdown, aired later Sunday.