Former US President Donald Trump made a striking statement during a fundraising event by stating that if the CCP invades Taiwan, he would bomb Beijing. This explosive remark left the attendees shocked, while sparking strong backlash from China.
According to a report by The Washington Post on Tuesday (28th), Trump made the comment during a national fundraising tour, mentioning that he would bomb Moscow and Beijing if Russia invaded Ukraine or China invaded Taiwan.
These comments took some donors at the event by surprise.
On Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson, Wu Qian, responded to the reports of Trump’s statements during a routine press conference: “If the reports are true, the remarks mentioned above are extremely crazy.” He also mentioned the “Three Beliefs”: “We do not believe in missions that cannot be accomplished, we do not believe in difficulties that cannot be overcome, we do not believe in enemies that cannot be defeated.”
However, the combat capabilities of the CCP’s military have been constantly questioned, from their outdated equipment to widespread corruption within the army. Recently, Chinese leader Xi Jinping conducted a major purge within the military, leading to the downfall of several senior officers. Some generals have expressed a lack of confidence in winning, leading to urgent replacements.
Many analysts believe that if the CCP’s military had the capability, they would have already taken Taiwan and wouldn’t have waited until now with no significant actions.
During Trump’s presidency from 2017 to 2020, he strongly supported Taiwan, including arms sales – a policy that has been maintained under President Joe Biden’s leadership. After winning the election in 2016, Trump also had a phone call with the then President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen. In December 2020, he signed the Taiwan Assurance Act, advocating for regular arms sales to Taiwan and supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
Currently, Trump is the Republican candidate for the 2024 US presidential election. According to Reuters, former US Ambassador James Gilmore visited Taipei in early May and stated during a speech at the Taiwan think tank Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation Center that “I believe Trump will support Taiwan once in office.”
Being a former US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe appointed by Trump, Gilmore mentioned that Trump’s stance is not about advocating for independence but rather ensuring that allies pay more attention to their defense.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Trump’s term repeatedly expressed support for Taiwan, stating that regardless of the US election outcome, Taiwan should have confidence that if the CCP provokes Taiwan, the US would definitely get involved (“We will be there”).
Earlier, Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, took office on May 20, asserting that cross-strait relations are “not subordinate to each other,” emphasizing the need to maintain the current status quo. In response, China conducted large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, threatening to “punish Taiwan independence.”
“Maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait” has long been a demand from the US and other Western countries. Over the past week, delegations from the US House and Senate respectively visited Taiwan, meeting with Lai Ching-te and others to express stronger cooperation between the US and Taiwan, warning not to doubt the US commitment to maintaining the status quo.
In response, China expressed anger, insisting that Taiwan is part of China’s territory and urging the US to abide by its commitments. Chinese officials cited the UN Resolution 2758 to uphold Beijing’s “One China Principle.”
On Tuesday (May 28), the US stated that the UN Resolution 2758 passed in 1971 does not support China’s sovereignty claim over Taiwan. On October 25, 1971, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, recognizing the People’s Republic of China as the representative of China in the UN Security Council instead of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name), without mentioning Taiwan’s sovereignty status.
When asked if the resolution acknowledges China’s sovereignty claim over Taiwan, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told Voice of America on Tuesday: “No, it does not acknowledge it.”
Mark Lambert, US State Department Coordinator for China Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, stated at a recent event that “Beijing erroneously conflates the resolution with its ‘One China’ principle and wrongly claims that the resolution reflects an international consensus on its ‘One China’ principle.”