In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs of up to 150 to 200 percent on China if she “enter” Taiwan.
In an interview published in the Wall Street Journal on Friday (Oct. 18) evening, Trump said: “I would say that if you (China) enter Taiwan, I’m sorry for doing that, and I’m going to tax you, 150 to 200 percent. ”
Asked if he would use military force to counter China’s blockade of Taiwan, Mr. Trump said he would not do so because President Xi Jinping respects him.
“My relationship with him is very strong,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t need [to use military force] because he respects me, and he knows I’m crazy (out of the ordinary),” he said in an interview.
Trump will face off against Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the current vice president, in the November 5 US election. Mr. Trump has proposed a comprehensive tariff of 10 to 20 percent on almost all imported products and a tariff of 60 percent or more on goods from China, saying the measures would boost U.S. manufacturing.
The former U.S. president was asked similar questions when he was interviewed by the editor of Bloomberg News at the Chicago Economic Club on Tuesday.
When asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan if China invaded Taiwan, Mr. Trump did not answer directly, but he said, “The reason [China] is doing this now is that they won’t do it in the future.” He also hinted that if elected, China would not invade Taiwan at all.
Kamala Harris was asked by the media about similar issues at Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday, she reiterated the U.S. one-China policy and Taiwan’s stance of having the right to defend itself. In an exclusive interview with the “60 Minutes” news program of the US Columbia Broadcasting Company (CBS) on October 7, Kamala Harris pointed out that the United States must ensure that it maintains its one-China policy, including supporting Taiwan’s ability to defend itself.
美國共和黨總統候選人、前總統特朗普在接受《華爾街日報》專訪時表示，若中國對台灣採取行動，他將對中國徵收高達150%至200%的額外關稅。
在10月18日的專訪中，特朗普提到：“如果你（中國）進入台灣，我很抱歉這樣做，我將對你徵稅150%到200%。”
當被詢問是否會動用軍事力量來對抗中國對台灣的封鎖時，特朗普表示不會，因為他與中國國家主席習近平之間的關係非常良好。
“我和他的關係非常牢固，”特朗普說。“我不需要（使用軍事力量），因為他尊重我，他知道我非常不按常理出牌。”
特朗普將在11月5日的美國大選中與民主黨候選人、現任副總統賀錦麗對決。他提出對幾乎所有進口商品徵收10%至20%的全面性關稅，並計劃對來自中國的商品徵收60%或更高的關稅，認為這些措施將促進美國製造業的發展。
在芝加哥經濟俱樂部接受彭博新聞社主編的訪問時，特朗普也被問及類似問題。
當被問到如果中國侵略台灣，美國是否會保衛台灣時，特朗普沒有直接回答，但表示：“（中國）現在這麼做的原因，是因為他們未來不會這麼做。”他暗示如果他當選，中國不會入侵台灣。
賀錦麗在密西根州底特律機場被媒體詢問類似問題時，重申了美國的一中政策以及台灣自我防衛的權利。她在10月7日接受美國哥倫比亞廣播公司新聞節目“60分鐘”專訪時指出，美國必須確保維持其一中政策，包括支持台灣有能力自我防衛。
