BEIJING, May 16 (AFP): US President Donald Trump warned Taiwan on Friday against declaring formal independence after concluding his visit to China, whose leader Xi Jinping had pressed him not to support the self-ruling island.
Trump ended the state visit claiming to have made "fantastic" trade deals, although the details were vague, and he did not appear to secure any breakthrough with China over his stalemated war on Iran.
Trump invited Xi for a reciprocal visit to Washington in September, signalling both sides will likely seek stability in the often turbulent relationship between the world's two largest economies.
On a key issue for Xi, Trump made clear he opposed a declaration of independence by Taiwan and appeared to question why the United States would defend the island in case of attack.
"I'm not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that," he told Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier."
"I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down," Trump said.
"We're not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China's going to be OK with that."
The United States recognizes only Beijing and does not support formal independence by Taiwan, but historically has stopped short of explicitly saying it opposes independence.
Under US law, the United States is required to provide weapons to Taiwan for its defence, but it has been ambiguous on whether US forces would come to the island's aid.
Xi had begun the summit with a warning on Taiwan, whose President Lai Ching-te considers the island already independent, making a declaration unnecessary.
Xi told Trump that missteps on the sensitive issue could cause "conflict".
Meanwhile, Taiwan said Saturday it is an "independent" nation, hours after US President Donald Trump warned the democratic island against declaring formal independence.
Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday where Chinese President Xi Jinping had pressed him not to support Taiwan, which China claims is part of its territory.
Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying out its threat to annex the island by force.
Taiwan "is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China", Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also insisted that US arms sales were part of Washington's security commitment to Taiwan, after Trump said it "depends on China" and was a "very good negotiating chip for us".
Taiwan's statements came after Trump issued a warning to the island against making a declaration of independence.
"I'm not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that," he told Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier".
"I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down," Trump said.
"We're not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China's going to be OK with that."
But Trump added that "nothing's changed" on US policy towards Taiwan.
The United States recognises only Beijing and does not support formal independence by Taiwan, but historically has stopped short of explicitly saying it opposes independence.
Earlier, Democrats accused US President Donald Trump of corruption on Friday after the disclosure of major stock market transactions carried out in his name, although his son denied there was wrongdoing.
"The President's corruption is a national security disaster," Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on X.
Warren referred to the purchase of shares in Nvidia-the maker of advanced chips used by AI companies.
Trump allowed the company to sell products to China, leading to a temporary boost in its stock price.
"Trump brought the NVIDIA CEO on his trip to China to lobby (Chinese President) Xi Jinping to buy advanced AI chips, even though it would create a US national security threat," Warren also wrote. "It turns out Trump also bought millions in NVIDIA's stock."
