Xi warns Trump over Taiwan and potential conflict over differences

Donald Trump is in Beijing for a crucial series of meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Few breakthroughs are expected on divisive issues such as the Iran war, trade, technology and Taiwan.

In a closed-door meeting, Xi warned Trump that their two countries could clash over Taiwan if the issue is not handled properly. Taiwan is a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. This is an unusually harsh admonition that stood in contrast to the American leader’s praise for his counterpart.

If the issue is “mishandled,” Washington and Beijing could “collide or even enter into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly dangerous situation,” Xi said, according to a readout of the meeting.

Under the “One China” policy, the US acknowledges China’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never officially recognized the Communist Party’s claim to the island. Washington maintains robust unofficial relations with Taiwan and is bound by law to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, but has remained intentionally ambiguous on whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack.

This exchange also highlighted just how far apart Trump and Xi still are on issues like the war in Iran, trade disputes and Washington’s relations with Taiwan. It also suggests that Trump’s three-day visit to China is perhaps more pageantry than substantive political or economic breakthroughs.

Xi also struck a more conciliatory tone when describing the overall relationship. “Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both,” he said. “The two countries should be partners rather than rivals.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said U.S. policy toward Taiwan was “unchanged” but warned that it would be “a terrible mistake” for China to take Taiwan by force.