Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump that tensions over Taiwan could trigger “clashes and even conflicts” between China and the United States as both leaders held high-stakes talks in Beijing focused on trade, global security and the ongoing Iran war.
The warning came during the opening day of a major two-day summit at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, where Xi and Trump met face-to-face amid rising geopolitical tensions and efforts to stabilize relations between the world’s two largest economies.
According to China’s foreign ministry, Xi told Trump that Taiwan remains the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations and warned that mishandling the matter could seriously damage ties between both nations.
“If the issue is handled properly, the relationship can remain generally stable,” Xi reportedly said. “Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
Taiwan has remained a major source of friction between Washington and Beijing, with China continuing to claim the self-governing island as part of its territory and refusing to rule out the use of force to take control. The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that America’s Taiwan policy remains unchanged despite concerns from lawmakers about possible concessions during the summit.
While China’s official summary of the meeting highlighted Taiwan extensively, the White House focused more on economic cooperation and the Iran conflict in its own account of the talks. U.S. officials described the meeting as productive and aimed at strengthening bilateral ties following months of trade tensions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump did not request assistance from China regarding Iran, despite Beijing’s close ties with Tehran. However, Trump later revealed that Xi expressed interest in helping resolve tensions in the Middle East and maintaining stability in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping route.
The summit also featured discussions on trade relations, with Xi reiterating that “trade wars have no winner” while welcoming progress made during recent economic negotiations between both countries.
Trump praised his relationship with Xi during opening remarks, calling the Chinese leader “a great leader” and emphasizing the importance of cooperation between Washington and Beijing.
“We’ve gotten along when there were difficulties, we worked it out,” Trump said.
Xi also stressed the global importance of U.S.-China relations, saying both nations must avoid falling into the “Thucydides Trap,” a theory describing conflict between rising and existing global powers.
The Beijing summit included elaborate ceremonies, a visit to the historic Temple of Heaven and a lavish state banquet attended by top American business leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Trump formally invited Xi to visit the United States in September as both leaders pledged continued dialogue despite growing strategic competition over Taiwan, trade and global security issues.