Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he would implement extra tariffs on China if the country were to take military action regarding Taiwan, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
“I would say: If you go into Taiwan, I’m sorry to do this, I’m going to tax you, at 150% to 200%,” the former U.S. president was quoted as saying in an interview with the WSJ published on Friday evening.
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When asked if he would consider using military force against a Chinese blockade of Taiwan, Trump responded that it wouldn’t reach that point because he believed Chinese President Xi Jinping respected him.
“I had a very strong relationship with him,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t have to (use military force), because he respects me and he knows I’m f— crazy,” he said in the interview, Reuters reported.
China asserts that Taiwan, which operates as a democratically governed entity, is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to assert control. Taiwan firmly rejects these sovereignty claims.
In his campaign for the closely contested November 5 election against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump has proposed implementing blanket tariffs of 10% to 20% on nearly all imports, as well as tariffs of 60% or higher specifically on Chinese goods. He argues that these measures would strengthen U.S. manufacturing.
During his presidency from early 2017 to early 2021, Trump’s tough stance on China was marked by a series of tariffs that escalated into a trade war, impacting global markets, Reuters reported.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump also addressed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reiterating his assertion that if he were still in office, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have carried out the invasion.
“I said to Putin, ‘Vladimir, we have a great relationship. … Vladimir, if you go after Ukraine, I am going to hit you so hard, you’re not even going to believe it. I’m going to hit you right in the middle of fricking Moscow,’” Trump was quoted as saying when talking about a past interaction with Putin.
(With inputs from Reuters)
