Donald Trump: I respect President Xi! I don't believe China will attack Taiwan

US President Donald Trump has expressed doubts that China intends to take military action against Taiwan, stressing his confidence in his relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two are expected to meet later this month, The Guardian reports.

Taiwan is a democratically self-governing territory that Beijing continues to consider its province. Trump was asked about the Pentagon's assessment that Xi could try to seize Taiwan within the next six years.

"I don't believe China wants to do that", Trump told reporters during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Washington. Regarding Xi's ambitions for Taiwan, he added: "I'm not saying it's not possible, but I don't expect anything concrete to happen."

Trump did not give a clear answer on whether he would allow the use of force to defend Taiwan, but stressed that the United States has the "most powerful military in the world." "We have the best of everything, and nobody wants to face that. I don't see a conflict with President Xi," he said. "I think we will come to an understanding on Taiwan issues."

The two leaders will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea at the end of the month. Trump said that his top priority remains reaching a "fair" trade deal with China. He declined to answer a question about whether he would back down from U.S. support for Taiwan in exchange for better trade terms.

"I want to have a good relationship with China. I respect President Xi. We have a great relationship," he said.

Under U.S. law, the United States is obligated to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. However, Washington has traditionally maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" - deliberately avoiding a specific commitment to use force in the event of an attack by China. In contrast, Trump's predecessor - Joe Biden - has repeatedly hinted that he would order the U.S. military to intervene in the event of Chinese aggression against Taiwan.