Trump Defies Xi's Red Line On Taiwan; Plans to Call Taiwanese President In Blow To China Reset
"I speak to everybody, we’ll work on that Taiwan problem." Donald Trump has just blown up his fragile peace with Xi Jinping. Fresh off his high-stakes trip to Beijing—where Xi explicitly warned him that messing with Taiwan could lead to direct military conflict—Trump announced he plans to speak directly with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te. No sitting US president has formally engaged Taipei since 1979, but Trump is treating the island's massive US weapons package as a "negotiating chip." Standing firm, Lai Ching-te welcomed the call, declaring Taiwan will never be annexed. Watch the superpower standoff.