Beijing: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed on Thursday that U.S. policy regarding Taiwan remains unchanged following the summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The summit took place in Beijing, where Rubio addressed concerns about Taiwan during an interview with NBC News. He clarified that while the topic was raised by Beijing, the U.S. position was reiterated and the dialogue moved on to other subjects.

According to Focus Taiwan, Rubio emphasized that any efforts to alter the current policy would be problematic, reiterating the consistent U.S. stance on Taiwan. He noted that while the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan has been discussed previously, it did not play a significant role in the recent talks. Rubio highlighted that decisions regarding arms sales are determined by the president, with input from Congress.

The summit marked the first visit by a U.S. president to China in almost a decade, with Trump's prior visit occurring in 2017. Chinese state media reported President Xi's assertion that Taiwan remains a pivotal aspect of China-U.S. relations. Xi warned that mishandling the issue could jeopardize the bilateral relationship, potentially leading to conflicts.

The White House's readout of the talks did not mention Taiwan, underscoring the sensitivity of the topic. During the NBC interview, Rubio was questioned about China's intentions toward Taiwan. He suggested that China's preference is for Taiwan to willingly unify with the mainland, possibly through a referendum. Rubio reiterated the global repercussions that would follow any coercive actions by China toward Taiwan.