Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday said he expected Taiwan and energy security to dominate discussions during his upcoming visit to China, while praising his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and expressing confidence that tensions over Taiwan would not escalate.
Speaking during a White House maternal healthcare event, Trump said his administration was now “doing great with China” after accusing previous US administrations of allowing Beijing to take advantage of the United States.
“We are doing a lot of business, but it’s smart business,” Trump said. “We used to be taken advantage of for years with our previous presidents, and now we’re doing great with China.”
Trump repeatedly praised Xi during the interaction with reporters.
“I have a great relationship with President Xi,” he said. “I respect him a lot, and hopefully he respects me.”
The President said Xi “didn’t respect our previous government” and criticised former US President Joe Biden over US-China relations.
“The guy couldn’t talk,” Trump said. “It was ridiculous how that ever happened.”
Trump linked his China-related remarks to broader tensions in West Asia and concerns over energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
He said China relied heavily on oil shipments moving through Hormuz and suggested Beijing wanted regional stability.
“In Hormuz, they get a big percentage, 40 per cent of their oil from Hormuz,” Trump said. “He’d like to see it get done. He doesn’t want to see it.”
Trump said energy and Iran would be major topics during the summit-level discussions with Xi.
“We’ll be talking about energy and about the very beautiful country of Iran,” he said.
On Taiwan, Trump acknowledged that the issue would likely arise during discussions with Xi.
“He’ll bring up Taiwan, I think, more than I will,” Trump said. “But I think we will be fine.”
Trump argued that strong US leadership would help prevent a crisis over Taiwan.
“If you have the right president, I don’t think it’ll happen,” he said.
The President also pointed to support for Taiwan from regional allies including Japan.
“There’s a lot of support for Taiwan from Japan and from countries from that area,” he said.
Trump further praised Xi’s leadership style, describing him as “a great gentleman” and “an amazing man”.
“He loves his country, I can tell you that,” Trump said. “I look forward to being there.”
The comments came as Trump continued to defend his administration’s approach towards Iran and rising tensions in West Asia.
He said recent military actions and pressure on Tehran had helped stabilise global markets despite concerns over oil supplies.
“The stock market is now higher than it was when this war started,” Trump said.
(IANS)
