Trump likely to focus on trade in meeting with Xi: Ex-U.S. defense official

Washington, May 6 (CNA) U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to focus on trade and economic matters during his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week, although the Taiwan issue is also likely to be raised by Beijing, a former senior Pentagon official said Wednesday.

Randall Schriver, who served as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs during Trump's first term, told Taiwanese reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Washington that Trump would want to build on a temporary trade truce that was reached with Xi during their meeting last year in Busan.

"My understanding is that President Trump would like to focus on economic and trade issues," said Schriver, who now chairs the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security (IIPS).

In the upcoming meeting, Trump will be hoping to establish a more durable framework covering issues such as Chinese rare earth exports and tariffs, he said.

Trump is expected to visit Beijing from May 14-15 for talks with Xi, which, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will include the Taiwan issue.

During a recent call with Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) said Taiwan was "the biggest risk" in U.S.-China relations, according to Chinese media reports.

Schriver said Wednesday that he thinks Trump will be prepared to address the issue while maintaining Washington's longstanding policy.

"I have confidence that President Trump will not just represent Taiwan, but really represent U.S.-Taiwan interests, which are in most cases shared interests," he said.

At the forum in Washington on Wednesday, Ely Ratner, a former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, warned that China's "gray zone" activities around Taiwan could pose growing risks in the short to medium term.

Beijing has sought to convince Taiwanese and American audiences that conflict and eventual unification are inevitable, Ratner said.

Taiwan and the U.S. should prepare for scenarios such as blockades, interceptions, and other unconventional coercive actions that could trigger a crisis, he said.

Deterrence can be maintained, however, through stronger military capabilities, alliances, and resilience, Ratner added.