Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Trump during talks in Beijing on Thursday that differences over Taiwan could lead to “clashes and conflicts” between the US and China, underscoring the issue’s significance from China’s perspective.
“As President Xi Jinping noted during the talks with President Trump, the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters.
“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy. ‘Taiwan independence’ and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the US. The US side must exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question,” Guo added.
The warning was delivered during two hours of talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, before which Trump praised the Chinese leader in public remarks. “You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true,” Trumps said, according to The Associated Press. “It’s an honor to be your friend.”
Xi expressed hope for a beneficial, cooperative US-China relationship but also warned of the need to avoid conflict, asking “whether the two countries can transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new model for relations between major powers.”
The AP noted that Xi has used the term “Thucydides Trap” for many years, which refers to the risk of war between a rising power and an established power, but said it was significant that he used it in comments directly to Trump.
Trump’s visit to Beijing, which includes a large delegation of his senior officials and CEOs of private US companies, comes a few months after his administration approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, more than were approved during the entire Biden administration, prompting Beijing to launch major military drills around the island.
The US does not appear to be heeding China’s warnings regarding Taiwan, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed what Xi told Trump, telling NBC News: “They always raise it on their side. We always make clear our position, and we move on to the other topics.”
While issuing warnings about potential conflicts, Xi also stressed that the US and China could maintain a beneficial relationship. “Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” he said. “We can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world.”
The two leaders also discussed the US-Israeli war against Iran, with the White House saying that the two sides agreed the Strait of Hormuz “must remain open to support the free flow of energy” and that Xi “also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.” Chinese officials did not mention Iran or the Strait of Hormuz in their readouts of the meeting, which came as Iran was allowing Chinese tankers to exit the Persian Gulf.
