Trump and Xi Remain Silent on Taiwan Discussion During White House Meeting

Washington:U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping refrained from addressing questions about whether Taiwan was discussed during their closed-door meeting at the White House on Thursday. According to Focus Taiwan, Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi did mention Taiwan during the meeting. Xi highlighted Beijing's clear stance on "national unification and territorial integrity" and expressed hope that Washington would oppose "Taiwan independence" and handle the Taiwan issue prudently to facilitate U.S.-China strategic cooperation and bilateral relations. The meeting marked Xi's first visit to the White House in 11 years and his second encounter with Trump this year, following a summit in Beijing in May. Despite the significance of the discussions, the White House had not released an official readout of the meeting by Thursday night. While these discussions were taking place, Chinese pro-democracy activists and human rights groups held protests near the White House. Amon g the demonstrators was Wang Dan, a prominent Chinese dissident and former student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Wang emphasized that the future of Taiwan should be determined by its people, stating, "The wishes of Taiwan's 23 million people must be respected." He also underscored that Taiwan's current priority should be to bolster its defenses. Additionally, pro-China groups gathered along the route of the Chinese delegation to the White House, displaying Chinese and U.S. flags to welcome President Xi.