“He (Xi) considers it part of China, and what he does is up to him,” Trump told the newspaper in an interview on Wednesday.
“But I’ve told him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’s going to do that. I hope he doesn’t.”
How China responded
China has strongly criticized recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and rejected comparisons between Washington’s operations there and Beijing’s claims over Taiwan.
Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the United States had violated international law by using force against a sovereign state.
“We strongly oppose this,” Chen said at a regular briefing on Wednesday, according to China Daily.
At the same time, Chen warned pro-independence groups in Taiwan, saying: “If ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces dare to take reckless actions and cross the red line, we will take resolute measures and strike back directly.”
Some analysts say the U.S. operation in Venezuela, which included attempts to apprehend President Nicolás Maduro and seize control of the country’s oil industry, could embolden Beijing.
Tony Zhao, a senior fellow at Carnegie China, said Washington’s description of the Venezuela operation as law enforcement “bears a striking resemblance to China’s legal characterization of its own plans against Taiwan.”
Emily Thornberry, chair of the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told BBC Radio 4 that the U.S. action in Venezuela “was not a legal action” and could encourage China and Russia.
“It sets a terrible precedent and [it’s] really worrying,” she said. China and Taiwan
China considers Taiwan its territory and says it must be reunited with the mainland. Taiwan has its own democratically elected government, military, and political system, and maintains that its people should determine their own future.
Beijing regards Taiwan as an internal affair, while most Western countries, including the UK, recognize China diplomatically but oppose any unilateral change to the status quo, especially by force.