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Xi’s people managed to outmaneuver the White House on messaging, too: His remarks about Taiwan to Trump before the conclusion of their initial bilateral meeting generated news coverage that led with Beijing’s position on the self-governing island. Trump told reporters during his return flight aboard Air Force One that he had made no commitments to Xi about Taiwan and would decide soon about a $14 billion arms sale to the island. When Xi asked him whether the US would defend Taiwan in a conflict, Trump said he responded by saying: “I don’t talk about that.”