‘I’ve Been Invited’: Trump To Visit China Early Next Year, Claims Xi Does Not Want Taiwan

Last Updated:October 20, 2025, 23:16 IST

Trump plans to visit China early next year and aims for a trade deal with Xi Jinping in South Korea, expressing confidence in US-China relations and addressing Taiwan concerns.

US President Donald Trump (R) speaks during a meeting with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC. (IMAGE: AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Monday that he would travel to China early next year and expected to seal a trade deal in South Korea with President Xi Jinping later this month despite a recent row over tariffs.

“I’ve been invited to go to China, and I’ll be doing that sometime fairly early next year. We have it sort of set," Trump told reporters as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House.

Trump voiced doubt that China would invade Taiwan as he voiced confidence in his relationship with counterpart Xi Jinping, whom he will meet later this month.

He was asked about an earlier Pentagon assessment that Xi was eying 2027 to attempt to seize Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by China.

“I think we’ll be just fine with China. China doesn’t want to do that," Trump told reporters as he met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Speaking of Xi’s designs on Taiwan, Trump said: “Now that doesn’t mean it’s not the apple of his eye, because probably it is, but I don’t see anything happening."

Without explicitly saying he would authorize force to defend Taiwan, Trump said that China knows that the United States “is the strongest military power in the world by far."

“We have the best of everything, and nobody’s going to mess with that. And I don’t see that at all with President Xi," Trump said.

“I think we’re going to get along very well as it pertains to Taiwan and others," he said.

Trump will hold his first meeting with Xi of his second term when the leaders of the world’s two largest economies visit South Korea later this month for an Asia-Pacific summit.

Trump said his priority was reaching a “fair" trade deal with China. He declined to answer a question on whether he would sacrifice US support for Taiwan as part of an agreement with Xi.

“I want to be good to China. I love my relationship with President Xi. We have a great relationship," Trump said.

The United States recognizes only Beijing and not Taiwan, where the Chinese mainland’s defeated nationalists fled in 1949 after losing the civil war to the communists and which has since turned into a flourishing democracy and technology hub.

Under US law, the United States is required to provide Taiwan weapons for its self-defense, but Washington has been deliberately ambiguous on whether it would use force to defend Taiwan.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...

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News world ‘I’ve Been Invited’: Trump To Visit China Early Next Year, Claims Xi Does Not Want Taiwan

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