Xi warns Trump China and US could ‘come into conflict’ if Taiwan issue mishandled – report
Xi Jinping has told Donald Trump their countries could come into conflict if the issue over self-ruled Taiwan claimed by Beijing is mishandled, Chinese state media said.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said at their summit, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation.”
Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Trump that if the Taiwan issue was not handled well, the two countries would clash or even come into conflict, pushing China-US relations into “a very dangerous place”.
Key events
Looks like the tech leaders accompanying Trump on his China trip and some other US officials have arrived early for the banquet dinner in the Great Hall of the People.
Donald Trump has arrived at the state banquet in Beijing where more pageantry awaits.
Taiwan said it would “maintain close communication” with the US and that Donald Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping contained “no surprises”.
Xi warned Trump that the issue of Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, could lead to conflict and “an extremely dangerous situation”, according to a readout of their meeting by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Taiwan’s mainland affairs council deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh brushed off those comments, saying the self-governing island is almost always discussed in meetings between the US and China.
“So at this point, all we can say is that there has been no surprising information so far and we will continue to maintain close communication with the American side,” he said, adding that comments about conflict had been made before.
Putin visit to China will ‘take place soon’, Kremlin says
Russian president Vladimir Putin will visit China very soon and preparations for the trip are already complete, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Putin and Xi Jinping have met more than 40 times over the years, most recently in Beijing last September.
The two men signed a “no limits” strategic partnership in February 2022, less than three weeks before Russia went to war in Ukraine.
Here are some of the latest images on the wires coming out of the Trump-Xi summit
White House statement on Trump-Xi talks
Here is the White House readout of the Trump-Xi summit today, which refers to the Iran war and the strait of Hormuz. But it makes no mention of Taiwan, despite the issue appearing extensively in the Chinese government’s statement of the talks.
President Trump had a good meeting with President Xi of China.
The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries. Leaders from many of the United States’ largest companies joined a portion of the meeting.
The two sides agreed that the strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarisation of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the strait in the future. Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
The White House also said Trump and Xi “highlighted the need to build on progress in ending the flow of fentanyl precursors into the United States, as well as increasing Chinese purchases of American agricultural products”.
White House says Trump and Xi had ‘good meeting’ but omits mention of Taiwan
We are now getting some comments from the White House on the Trump-Xi summit.
A White House official said Donald Trump “had a good meeting” with Xi Jinping, where they discussed enhancing economic cooperation, expanding market access for US businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment.
The official added that the two leaders agreed the strait of Hormuz – which has been effectively shut since the US and Israel began bombing Iran – should remain open.
Taiwan was not mentioned in the White House readout of the talks.
We will bring you more as we get it.
Donald Trump is known for his off the cuff remarks, particularly to the media, but during a photo op in Beijing he remained unusually silent when posed with questions by the press.
CNN published a video of the US president standing side by side with Xi Jinping outside the Temple of Heaven, and he is asked twice by reporters whether he discussed Taiwan with the Chinese leader during meetings today. Trump appears to ignore the question and, after momentarily standing in silence with Xi, walks away.
The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that Xi told Trump the Taiwan issue “is the most important issue in China-US relations” and that “Taiwan independence and peace” are “incompatible”.
A comment Donald Trump made to Xi Jinping about the tech leaders who have accompanied him on his trip to China has proved popular with Chinese social media users.
“I didn’t want the second or the third in the company. I wanted only the top, and they’re here today to pay respects to you and to China,” Trump told Xi.
His comments ranked second in trending topics on the Chinese social network Weibo, according to AP.
What Xi and Trump discussed, according to Chinese statement
We are waiting for the US to issue any comments on the meetings between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing today, but the Chinese foreign ministry has released a statement on the talks.
Here is what the two leaders discussed, according to the ministry readout:
Xi emphasised that Taiwan “is the most important issue in China-US relations”, adding that, if handled poorly, “the two countries will clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a very dangerous place”.
The Chinese president questioned whether the US and China “can transcend the “Thucydides Trap” (see earlier post) and forge a new paradigm for great power relations”.
Xi said he and Trump agreed to establish a “constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the US” as the new framework for bilateral relations.
On trade, US and Chinese economic and trade teams “reached an overall balanced and positive outcome” in discussions yesterday.
Xi said Beijing’s door “to the outside world will only open wider … American companies will enjoy even brighter prospects in China”.
The two leaders “exchanged views on major international and regional issues”, including the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean peninsula.
Trump told Xi he is “a great leader and China is a great country, and he deeply respects President Xi and the Chinese people”.
During the talks, Trump “introduced the business leaders who accompanied him to Xi Jinping one by one”.
Xi hails new era of ‘constructive strategic stable relationship’ with US
Xi Jinping lauded a new era of US-China relations after hosting meetings with Donald Trump in Beijing.
A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said:
Xi Jinping emphasised that China is committed to the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations. He stated that he and president Trump agreed to establish a “constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the US” as a new positioning for China-US relations, which will provide strategic guidance for China-US relations for the next three years and beyond, and is believed to be welcomed by the people of both countries and the international community. “Constructive strategic stability” should be positive stability based on cooperation, benign stability with moderate competition, normalised stability with manageable differences, and lasting stability with a promising future of peace. “A constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the US” is not just a slogan, but should be a matter of concerted action.
Taiwan says China is ‘sole risk’ to regional peace and stability
Taiwan has issued a statement after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up their summit in Beijing today, warning that China is the “sole risk” to regional peace and stability.
It came after the Chinese leader delivered a warning of his own to the US president, saying the Taiwan issue, if not handled well, could lead to conflict and push China-US relations into “a very dangerous place”.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry has pushed back, saying China is “currently the sole risk to regional peace and stability”. It pointed to China’s “military harassment” and grey-zone activities around Taiwan and the region as evidence, adding that “Beijing has no right to make any claims on behalf of Taiwan internationally”.
Earlier, Taiwan cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee said Taiwan was grateful for the US’s “long-term support” and that Washington has “repeatedly reiterated its firm and clear position of support” for the island.
Xi and Trump discuss Middle East and Ukraine wars and North Korea, says China foreign ministry
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine as well as North Korea during talks in Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
“The two heads of state exchanged views on major international and regional issues such as the situation in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis, and the Korean peninsula,” the ministry said in a statement.
It remains to be seen whether the US president can convince the Chinese leader to help him end the war with Iran. China is a close ally of Iran and the world’s biggest buyer of Iranian oil.
Interim summary
In case you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of the day’s main events as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping kicked off their high-stakes summit in Beijing, where it’s now 2pm.
Xi and Trump began a series of meetings on Thursday in a two-day US-China summit that is expected to cover divisive issues ranging from trade, technology and Taiwan to the Iran war but with few breakthroughs expected.
Xi said at the start of about two hours of bilateral talks in the Great Hall of the People on Thursday that 2026 marked 250 years of US independence and that stability in the US-China relationship was necessary for global stability.
Trump said Xi was a “great leader” and that the two countries’ relationship was “going to be better than ever”.
Xi later told Trump their countries could come into conflict if the issue over self-ruled Taiwan claimed by Beijing was mishandled, Chinese state media said. “The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said.
Marco Rubio said US officials would try to persuade China to take a more “active role” in resolving the conflict in Iran, the US secretary of state told Fox News while en route to China.
Trump also hopes to focus talks on trade and deals for China to buy more agricultural products and passenger planes, setting up a board to address their differences and avoid a repeat of the trade war ignited last year after Trump’s tariff hikes.
Xi told a delegation of US business executives that China would “open wider” to the world. “American companies will enjoy even brighter prospects in China,” Xi was quoted by Chinese state media as saying amid the summit. Tesla chief Elon Musk, Nvidia boss Jensen Huang and Apple head Tim Cook are among the business leaders who travelled with Trump to Beijing.
China has renewed export licences for hundreds of US beef processing plants, customs data showed, in a possible goodwill gesture amid the Beijing summit.
Trump and Xi visited Beijing’s historic Temple of Heaven after concluding their talks, and are to attend a state banquet later on Thursday. Trump is expected to leave just after midday on Friday after a final private meeting with Xi.
Asian shares were mixed on Thursday as investors closely monitored takeaways from the summit.
With news agencies
China renews hundreds of US beef exporters’ licences amid summit
China has renewed export licences for hundreds of US beef processing plants, customs data showed, in a possible goodwill gesture as the leaders of both countries met in Beijing.
More than 400 US beef plants lost export eligibility over the past year as Beijing’s permissions – granted between March 2020 and April 2021 – lapsed without the customary renewal, accounting for roughly 65% of the once-registered facilities.
Agriculture has been expected to play a big part in any trade deal and the renewals are the first official pointer to likely elements of a final package shaping in the talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, Reuters is reporting.
“This shows China has released some goodwill gestures in areas that aren’t too critical to US-China trade relations,” said Xu Hongzhi, a senior analyst at Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultants.
The step is likely to cheer US beef producers told by the White House in recent weeks the issue would be raised during the summit.
Cargill CEO Brian Sikes is among the US CEOs accompanying Donald Trump to Beijing. Plants owned by Cargill and Tyson Foods were included in the renewal.
