China does not want to take over Taiwan: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that China does not intend to take over Taiwan and that relations between the two countries “will remain good.”

Trump is set to visit China early next year at the invitation of Beijing, he confirmed while announcing the trip.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, October 20, Trump said, “I’ve been invited to visit China, and I’ll be going there early next year. The matter is more or less settled.”

He also stated that he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month in South Korea, where he hopes to conclude a “fair” trade deal between the two nations.

Despite recent tensions over tariffs, Trump sent a message of peace, saying, “Both countries must prosper together.” He expressed hope that China would resume purchasing American soybeans, helping US farmers recover from losses. Following his remarks, soybean prices on the Chicago Board of Trade reached their highest level in a month.

However, Trump’s comments contradict the earlier assessment of the Pentagon, which had claimed that China was planning to take control of Taiwan by 2027.

“China doesn’t want to do that,” Trump asserted. “They know the United States is the world’s most powerful military force. No one can play with our superiority.”

Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described China as a “threat to the region” during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. In response, China’s foreign ministry warned Washington not to use Taiwan as a “strategic tool” against Beijing, saying the US should “not play with fire.”