Trump, Xi mum when asked if Taiwan discussed in White House talks

Washington, Sept. 24 (CNA) U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) did not respond to reporters' questions Thursday on whether Taiwan had been discussed during their closed-door meeting at the White House.

After the talks, Trump told reporters that he and Xi had had a "great meeting," but he did not answer questions on whether the two leaders had discussed Taiwan, artificial intelligence or jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英).

Xi also did not respond to questions about Taiwan from reporters shouting out questions to the two leaders following the meeting.

Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported, however, that Xi raised Taiwan during the meeting, saying Beijing's position on "national unification and territorial integrity" was clear.

According to Xinhua, Xi expressed hope that Washington would oppose "Taiwan independence" and "prudently handle the Taiwan question" to lay a foundation for U.S.-China strategic cooperation and bilateral relations.

The White House had not issued a readout of the meeting as of Thursday night U.S. time.

The meeting marked Xi's first visit to the White House in 11 years and his second meeting with Trump this year, following their summit in Beijing in May.

Meanwhile, Chinese pro-democracy activists and human rights groups staged protests near the White House during the summit.

Prominent Chinese dissident Wang Dan (王丹), one of the student leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, joined the demonstration and said Taiwan's future should be determined by its people.

"The wishes of Taiwan's 23 million people must be respected," Wang said, adding that Taiwan's priority now should be strengthening its defenses.

Pro-China groups also gathered along the Chinese delegation's route to the White House, waving Chinese and U.S. flags to welcome Xi.