Xi warns Trump Taiwan could push US-China ties toward conflict

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that the United States and China should be “partners, not rivals,” while warning that disagreements over Taiwan could push bilateral relations onto a dangerous path and even trigger conflict.

The two leaders met in Beijing on Thursday for a long-anticipated summit focused on the Strait of Hormuz blockade, Taiwan, trade and opportunities for US businesses.

At the start of the talks, Xi said trade negotiations had made progress, but warned that any dispute over Taiwan could steer China-US relations in a perilous direction. Xi’s remarks on Taiwan were notably blunt, while Trump described the summit as “perhaps the greatest summit ever held.”

Xi said China and the United States “must create a new paradigm for relations between major powers.”

“The two countries should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed … and find the right way for major countries to coexist,” he said.

The first visit to China by a US president in roughly nine years has taken on added significance as Trump faces falling approval ratings amid the Iran war.

Trump praises Xi: “You have a great leader”

Trump opened the talks by praising Xi during a ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, an imperial-era symbol where children welcomed the US president with flowers and flags.

“You have a great leader. Sometimes people don’t want me to say that, but I say it anyway,” Trump said in brief opening remarks. “Some say this could be the greatest summit ever held.”

Trump also introduced the business delegation accompanying him.

“We have the greatest businessmen in the world … and they are here today to pay their respects to you,” he said.

State television showed Xi descending the steps of the Great Hall overlooking Tiananmen Square as Trump arrived with a convoy of black presidential vehicles. Trump greeted Cai Qi, a close Xi ally and member of the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee, along with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and economic chief He Lifeng.

Xi shook hands with members of Trump’s delegation, including US Ambassador to Beijing David Perdue, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Leading US business executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, stood immediately behind US officials.

The two leaders held bilateral talks covering the Iran war, Taiwan, rare earths and artificial intelligence. They also agreed to expand cooperation in trade and agriculture and exchanged views on developments in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.

Later, Xi said Chinese and US economic and trade teams had achieved “generally balanced and positive results” during talks in South Korea on Wednesday. Those discussions were aimed at preserving the fragile trade truce reached last October between the world’s two largest economies and establishing mechanisms for future trade and investment.

Xi was due to host Trump for a state dinner later in the evening, with Trump’s son Eric also attending. On Friday, Trump is scheduled to have tea and a working lunch with Xi before departing for the United States.

Taiwan warning

Xi also addressed Taiwan. Although both the United Nations and the United States officially recognize Taiwan as part of China, Washington continues to supply arms to the island.

China reiterated on Wednesday its strong opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan, while uncertainty remains over a $14 billion package awaiting Trump’s approval.

Xi told Trump that Taiwan was the most important issue facing the two countries and warned that mishandling it could place the entire China-US relationship in an extremely dangerous position, potentially leading the two countries toward collision or even conflict.

Joe Mazur, a geopolitical analyst at consultancy Trivium China, said Beijing had issued harsh warnings on Taiwan before, but described Xi’s comments as particularly notable.

“He is clearly telling the US side: if you do not take this seriously, you are going to get yourselves into trouble,” Mazur said.

Chinese state media, which often criticizes the United States sharply, adopted a positive tone ahead of the meeting. In an editorial published Thursday, the Communist Party-backed Global Times said “head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations” and added that “the future of China-US relations is bright.”

Trump said on Wednesday that his “first request” to Xi would be to create a more favorable environment for major US companies. At the same time, he said he expected to discuss the Strait of Hormuz crisis with the Chinese leader. Washington hopes Beijing, as Iran’s main oil customer, could pressure Tehran to keep the waterway open.

Xi, meanwhile, may seek concessions from Trump, including limits on arms sales to Taiwan or a softer US diplomatic stance on Taiwanese independence.

William Yang, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said senior government officials in Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines were “concerned” about how Trump would handle Xi’s demands regarding Taiwan. Those concerns have intensified as US military attention in Asia becomes increasingly strained by the Middle East conflict.

Challenges

Analysts say the relationship between the two sides remains burdened by difficult issues.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese refineries purchasing Iranian oil, while China has introduced new rules providing for severe penalties against any company or individual capable of disrupting supply chains domestically or abroad.

At the height of last year’s trade war, Chinese export restrictions on rare earths caused major industrial disruptions in the United States, Europe, India and elsewhere.

Trump also said he would raise the case of businessman Jimmy Lai, who was imprisoned following the 2019 Hong Kong protests.

Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who visited China last week, said Washington hoped to reach agreements with Beijing involving Boeing aircraft, beef and soybean purchases.

“Boeing has not received a single order in the past nine years. There could be a major aircraft deal with Boeing,” Daines said.

Shifting power dynamics

Power dynamics have shifted since Trump’s last visit to Beijing in 2017. At the time, China gave the US president an exceptionally lavish استقبال and placed billions of dollars in orders for US goods.

But Ali Wyne, senior adviser for US-China relations at the International Crisis Group, said Trump now acknowledges China’s growing status, noting that he revived the term “G2” during talks with Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea in October.

Trump enters the talks from a weakened position. US courts have curtailed his ability to impose sweeping tariffs on exports from China and other countries. The Iran war has also fueled inflationary pressures in the United States, increasing the risk that Trump’s Republican Party could lose control of one or both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

Although China’s economy also faces difficulties, Xi is not under comparable economic or political pressure. Still, both sides appear committed to maintaining the trade truce agreed last October, under which Trump suspended tariffs of several hundred percentage points on Chinese goods while Xi eased restrictions on rare earth supplies.

Xi is also expected to make a reciprocal visit to the United States later this year, which would mark his first trip to the country since Trump began his second term in 2025.