Taipei: U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that China would refrain from taking military action against Taiwan during his presidency, as Chinese leaders “know the consequences.”

According to Focus Taiwan, Trump made this remark during an interview on the CBS program 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday. The statement came shortly after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. During the interview, Trump mentioned that Xi and his officials have openly recognized that no military action would be taken against Taiwan while Trump is in office, indicating their awareness of the potential consequences.

Despite making such assertions, Trump declined to specify how Washington would react if China were to take military action against Taiwan. “I don’t want to give away- I can’t give away my secrets,” Trump remarked. He emphasized his preference not to disclose potential U.S. responses to hypothetical situations.

The U.S. president also noted that the topic of Taiwan did not come up during his recent meeting with Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. “People were a little surprised at that,” Trump commented during the 60 Minutes interview. He explained that Xi did not bring up Taiwan because he “understands it very well,” acknowledging the geographical and political complexities involved.