TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – It would be very dangerous for China to make a move on Taiwan, US President Donald Trump said Friday on his way to an Asian tour which will include a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平).

Trump will visit Malaysia and Japan before heading to South Korea to participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he will meet Xi. Taiwan is sending former Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義) to the October 31-November 1 event.

Before Trump boarded Air Force One for his trip, he was asked whether he would discuss Taiwan with Xi. “I’ll be talking about Taiwan. I won’t be going there, but I’ll be talking about it, I won’t be too far away,” CNA quoted him as saying. He added he had a lot of respect for Taiwan.

During the flight, reporters asked the president about an earlier statement saying China would not make any moves on Taiwan, per UDN. He said he hoped China would not. “Maybe they will, maybe they won’t, it would be very dangerous for them to do,” he said.

When a reporter wanted to know whether Trump would change US policy on Taiwan, he said he did not want to create any complexity, because his trip was already complex enough.

Taiwan has stepped up its outreach to prominent media in the US amid unease about what Trump might discuss with Xi. To reassure Washington, Taiwan has also emphasized its commitment to increased defense spending and security cooperation.