WASHINGTON, Aug 25 — SpaceX has called off a scheduled test flight for its Starship megarocket on Sunday, citing the need for additional time to address issues, marking yet another setback for Elon Musk’s colossal project following a string of explosive failures.
WASHINGTON, Aug 16 — US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured him China would not launch an invasion of Taiwan while Trump remains in office.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News ahead of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine, Trump said: “It’s a very similar situation with President Xi and Taiwan, but I don’t think it’s going to happen while I’m here. We’ll see.”
According to Trump, Xi told him directly: “‘I will never do it as long as you’re president.’” Trump added that Xi went on to say, “‘But I am very patient, and China is very patient.’”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump and Xi had their first confirmed phone conversation of Trump’s second term in June. Trump also mentioned in April that Xi had called him again, though he didn’t specify the date.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has pledged to “reunify” with the self-governed democratic island, using force if necessary. Taiwan, however, strongly rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
While the United States is Taiwan’s main international backer and primary arms supplier, Washington — like most countries — does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taipei. — Reuters
