U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Taiwan is expected to be a topic of discussion when U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. At a White House press briefing, Rubio said Taiwan “always” comes up in U.S.-China talks and noted that both sides understand it is not in their interests for anything destabilizing to occur in the Taiwan-related situation or more broadly in the Indo-Pacific. Rubio also said the United States does not expect or seek any destabilizing developments regarding Taiwan.
Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing on May 14 and 15, according to the reports. The background to the expected discussion is China’s increasing military pressure toward Taiwan. China claims the democratically governed island as part of its territory, while the United States remains Taiwan’s most important international partner, including providing arms. China has repeatedly criticized U.S. support for Taiwan.
The outlets agree on the expectation of Taiwan being discussed, with Rubio’s remarks focused on avoiding destabilization during the leaders’ meeting.
