China’s Xi warns Trump about Taiwan at Beijing summit
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| Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, speaks with US President Donald Trump as they attend a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing today, Thursday 14 May 2026 [Brendan Smialowski/AFP] |
The Chinese leader cautions the US president that disagreement over Taiwan could send relations down a dangerous path and even lead to conflict
Analysts say Chinese leader Encik Xi Jinping’s unusually “blunt” warning to US President Encik Donald Trump over Taiwan at today’s summit in Beijing, China exposes potentially grave pitfalls in the relationship, although its immediate impact could be limited.
As reported by the international news agency AFP, US sales of military equipment to the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing have long enraged the Chinese government, threatening to derail already-fraught engagement on trade and other issues between the world’s top two economies.
China has vowed to bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary, while the US — which diplomatically recognises only Beijing — is required under domestic law to provide weapons to the democratic island so that it can defend itself.
Xi warned Trump today, Thursday 14 May, that “the Taiwan question is the most important issue” in their bilateral relationship, according to remarks published by Chinese state media soon after the talks began.
“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” he said.
Such “blunt” rhetoric is “out of the ordinary” coming from Xi in conversation with a US president, editor of the China Neican newsletter Encik Adam Ni told the international news agency.
“Xi wants to make it very clear to Trump and to the public record that he thinks the Taiwan issue is the potential powder keg between the two superpowers,” Ni said.
Encik Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore said China “has been signalling a desire for US compromise on Taiwan in the lead-up to the summit”.
“Perhaps they see some opportunity to convince Trump,” Chong said.
“So far, the US side has not indicated any movement.”
No consensus yet
Trump has not commented publicly on Taiwan since arriving in Beijing yesterday, on Wednesday evening.
He ignored multiple questions on the subject from reporters during a visit to the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon today, where he and Xi posed for photographs after talks.
A readout of the meeting from a White House official also made no mention of Taiwan.
Treasury Secretary Encik Scott Bessent said Trump would say more on Taiwan “in the coming days”, adding that the president “understands the sensitivities” about the island.
Trump said days before the trip that he would discuss US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi — something that would be a break with a decades-long policy of not consulting with Beijing on the issue.
Secretary of State Encik Marco Rubio, who is also in Beijing and known for his firm line on China as a senator, suggested continuity in an interview with Fox News aboard Air Force One.
“It’s not in China’s interest or anyone’s interest for there to be any sort of forced change in the status quo. I think stability there is very important,” he said.
Encik Tzeng Wei-feng of the National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations in Taipei said that he thinks Xi and Trump “don’t have a consensus yet” on the issue of arms sales.
While a deal on that sensitive subject is unlikely, Tzeng said, it’s possible that Trump will make “some statement that weakens the United States’ promise on defending Taiwan”.
Non-negotiable
Trump repeatedly touted his personal relationship with Xi in the run-up to the summit, praising him as “a Leader of extraordinary distinction” in a social media post on Tuesday, 12 May.
Many observers say Trump is placing great stock in his ability to cash in on that rapport during the summit.
Casting a shadow over talks is the unresolved US-Israeli war with Iran, which previously delayed Trump’s visit to China — the top customer of Iranian oil.
Speculation has emerged that Trump would seek to use US arms sales to Taiwan as a bargaining chip to encourage Beijing to use its leverage with Tehran to accept a deal to end the war.
However, Encik Ryan Hass, an expert on China and Taiwan at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, threw cold water on the proposition.
“Doing so would violate Beijing’s longstanding principle that Taiwan is ‘non-negotiable’. It isn’t how Beijing rolls,” he wrote on social media.
“More likely, both leaders will affirm their shared interest in stabilising relations and use (economic and) commercial deals to demonstrate progress.”
Adapted from AFP's news report.
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