'Small Island 9,500 Miles Away’: Trump Signals Shift On Taiwan Support, Accuses It ‘Stole’ America’s Chip Industry

US President Donald Trump on Friday called Taiwan "a little bit of a difficult problem" for his country, pointing to China's military strength and geographic proximity to the island. He further warned Taipei against pursuing formal dependence following his two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

In an interview with Fox News after returning from China, Trump said, “When you look at the odds, China is a very, very powerful, big country. That’s a very small island. Think of it; it’s 59 miles away. We’re 9,500 miles away. That’s a little bit of a difficult problem."

Trump on Taiwan:

When you look at the odds, China is a very, very powerful, big country. That’s a very small island.

Think of it; it’s 59 miles away. We’re 9,500 miles away. That’s a little bit of a difficult problem.

If you look at the history, Taiwan was developed because we… pic.twitter.com/O9xAQjKyfa

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 15, 2026

The MAGA chief then blamed previous US administrations for Taiwan’s emergence in the semiconductor sector. “If you look at the history, Taiwan was developed because we had presidents that didn’t know what the hell they were doing. They stole our chip industry," he said.

Donald Trump returned to the US on Friday evening after a visit to China, where the discussion focused heavily on Taiwan, trade ties, and the Iran conflict. Reflecting on his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump described the summit as a landmark moment between “two great countries."

'Don't Want To See A Fight For Independence'

In the interview, he mentioned, “It’s the two great countries. I call it the G-2. I think it’ll go down as a very important moment in history." Although Trump avoided publicly discussing Taiwan during the trip, he later acknowledged that the issue featured prominently in talks with Xi.

The US President claimed that he talked a lot with Jinping about Taiwan. He also mentioned that the Chinese leader “does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation."

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Trump further stated that China may avoid military action against Taiwan while he remains in office. “I don’t think they’ll do anything when I’m here. When I’m not here. I think they might, to be honest with you," he said.

Trump Praises Jinping

However, the US President pulled back from direct military intervention if China attacked Taiwan, maintaining the US policy of strategic ambiguity. He further stated that he had not yet decided whether to go along with a previously approved US arms package for Taipei after hearing Xi’s objections.

During the visit, Trump repeatedly praised the Chinese President, addressing him as a “great leader" and expressing confidence that the two countries would have a “fantastic future together." Meanwhile, China characterised the summit as the start of a new phase of “strategic stability" in ties between Beijing and Washington.

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