Anti-China voices had almost nothing negative to say after President Trump's visit to China. So they scraped the barrel and made an issue of President Xi's height. Trump himself dismantled that smear in a Fox News interview.
Trump heaps praise on President Xi.
Trump described President Xi as a man of rare substance. “I think he’s a warm person, actually, but he’s all business. There’s no games," Trump said. "There’s no talking about how nice the weather is. ‘Aw, let’s look at the stars, let’s look at the sun,’ you know. No, he’s all business, and I like that. That’s a good thing. No games. I say it about him and I could say it about some, not as complimentary, frankly, for the most part, but I say about him."
Then came the appearance. Trump said: “If you went to Hollywood and you look for a leader of China, to play a role in a movie, he’s central casting… you couldn't find a guy like him.”
Trump added. "Even his physical features, you know, he's tall, very tall, and especially for this country, because they tend to be a little bit shorter… "
Trump also took a sideways jab at Biden, who never visited China: If Biden had gone to China, he wouldn’t have even gotten a meeting with Xi Jinping.
Trump says President Xi is extremely tall.
Trump criticises far more than he praises. President Xi is a rare exception.
Mao Paishou
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Rumors had swirled for weeks before US President Trump's China visit: Beijing wanted Washington to publicly oppose Taiwan independence, while Washington was only willing to say its Taiwan policy remained unchanged.
During the visit, Secretary of State Rubio handled the Taiwan question with surgical precision — or deliberate evasion, depending on your view. Asked about Taiwan, Rubio said only that China wants to unify with Taiwan, and that in his view, "In a perfect world, China's preference is probably to have Taiwan willingly, voluntarily join them”, through “some vote or a referendum in Taiwan that agrees to fold in". Rubio never once stated a position on independence or unification.
Trump was equally elusive on the ground. When reporters pressed him at the Temple of Heaven for his position on Taiwan, he deflected with a line that answered nothing: "China is beautiful."
The real answer came later. After concluding his China visit on May 15, Trump sat down with Fox News anchor Bret Baier — and the tone shifted entirely. Asked whether the people of Taiwan should feel more or less safe following his meeting with President Xi Jinping, Trump replied: "Neutral. This has been going on for years."
Trump said in a Fox News interview that America does not want to go to war for Taiwan.
Then came the pivot Beijing had been waiting for. Trump said US policy on Taiwan had not changed — and then said something that changed everything: "Nothing's changed. I will say this: 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 added: "I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down."
Trump drew his line even more sharply on the question of war. "We’re not looking to have wars," he said. "if you kept it the way it is, I think China is [going to] be OK with that. But we're not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let's go independent because the United States is backing us.'"
Asked whether he foresaw a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Trump was blunt: "No, I don't think so. I think we'll be fine. President Xi doesn't want to see a war. We have two things — the Iran situation… and the Taiwan issue. He doesn't want to see an independence movement."
Two messages, unmistakably clear. First: America does not want to see Taiwan move toward independence and does not support it. Second: America does not want to go to war for Taiwan. Trump has delivered what Beijing expected from him — he has come out explicitly against Taiwan independence.
The arms sales question added another layer of complication. Aboard Air Force One after leaving Beijing, Trump told reporters he had made no promises to President Xi on Taiwan. On arms sales, he said the US would reach a decision soon — after consulting with "the person that right now is running Taiwan."
Aboard Air Force One, Trump said China does not want to see an independence movement in Taiwan, and that America does not want a war 9,500 miles away.
A reporter pointed out the contradiction directly. Under the assurances President Reagan gave Taiwan in 1982, the US pledged not to consult China on arms sales to Taiwan. "So it sounds like you already have consulted China?" the reporter asked. Trump implied that 1982 was a long time ago. When pressed further and asked whether Trump was no longer bound by those assurances — Trump hedged: "No, I didn't say that." But then he confirmed what the question implied that this subject — arms sales to Taiwan — was certainly brought up with President Xi. “What am I going to do, say I don't want to talk to you about it because I have an agreement wrote in 1982? No, we discussed arms sales. I'll be making decisions."
Trump confirmed he had discussed US arms sales to Taiwan with President Xi.
Asked what President Xi had specifically requested, Trump refused to answer directly. "And, you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that," he said. "I think that's the last thing we need. We're doing very well right now."
