Secretary Rubio sits next to President Trump at the US-China summit [AFP Yonhap News]

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated on the 14th that there has been no change in the United States' policy toward Taiwan, following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In an interview with NBC following the summit in Beijing between President Trump and President Xi, Secretary Tillerson said, "Our policy (toward Taiwan) has not changed," adding, "It has been quite consistent across multiple administrations and it remains consistent."

Although there were concerns that President Trump might concede to some extent to President Xi's demands for a policy change regarding Taiwan during his visit to China, the Secretary of State directly confirmed after the leaders' meeting that the US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged.

Secretary Tillerson vaguely mentioned that the sale of arms to Taiwan was not a major agenda item during the meeting between President Trump and President Xi.

It is included in the US's "Six Assurances" to Taiwan that arms sales to Taiwan will not be discussed with China. Many had predicted that President Xi would demand at least a postponement of arms sales to Taiwan from President Trump during this summit.

Secretary Tillerson also issued a warning about the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, stating, "From our perspective, any forced change in the status quo would be bad for both countries."

President Xi had conveyed a strong warning message to President Trump during the summit, stating that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to a clash between the US and China.

Secretary Tillerson reported that President Trump raised the issue of the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai, the owner of a pro-China media company critical of the Chinese government, with President Xi.

He said, "The President always brings up that issue and a couple of others. Naturally, we expect a positive response."

When asked if Lai could go to the United States if released, Tillerson replied, "As long as he is free, any manner is open."

The "couple of other issues" that President Trump reportedly raised along with Lai's imprisonment may include Pastor Ezra Chan (Korean name Kim Myung-il), a Korean-Chinese pastor who led China's largest underground church and was arrested by Chinese authorities. Before his visit to China, President Trump had mentioned, "I will raise the issue of Lai's imprisonment and Pastor Chan's issue with President Xi."

Secretary Tillerson stated that the US and Chinese leaders agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should not be militarized, and claimed that President Trump did not ask President Xi for help.

Tillerson said, "The Chinese side stated that they do not favor the militarization and toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, and that is also our position."

However, he emphasized, "President Trump did not ask President Xi for anything. We are not asking for China's help. We do not need their help."

This appears to be a judgment that seeking Chinese support would not be advantageous in a situation where a resolution to the ceasefire negotiations with Iran is not in sight. However, many speculated that President Trump, desperate to find a way out of the Iran war, would expect China's role.