US President Donald Trump has warned Taiwan against pursuing independence, questioning whether the US should risk a military conflict thousands of miles away to defend the self-governing island. The remarks, made during a Fox News interview immediately after Trump’s two-day summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marked a sharp rhetorical shift from Washington’s traditional policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent,” Trump said, cautioning Taipei against assuming guaranteed US backing. “We’re not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the US is backing us,’” he added. Trump also questioned the practical case for US military intervention, pointing to Taiwan’s distance from the US. “We’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that,” Trump said, urging both sides to “cool down” and preserve the status quo. “If we keep things the way they are, China’s going to be OK with that.” Pressure from Beijing Trump’s comments came after direct pressure from Xi during bilateral talks in Beijing. Chinese state media said Xi told Trump that Taiwan remains the “most important issue” in China-US relations. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of China and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide their future.