President Xi Jinping warned Donald Trump during his visit to Beijing that mishandling the issue of Taiwan could trigger heightened tensions or even conflict between the two countries, according to Chinese state media.
If the Taiwan issue were handled poorly, it could place U.S.-China relations in a “very dangerous situation,” Xi said during talks in the Chinese capital, state news agency Xinhua reported Thursday.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has long feared the island could formally declare independence, although Taiwan’s government has not pursued such a move.
Independence and peace in the Taiwan Strait are incompatible, Xi said, referring to the waterway separating China and Taiwan.
Xi also said Taiwan was the most important issue in relations between Beijing and Washington and that handling it properly could help preserve stability between the two powers.
The U.S. plays a key role in the Taiwan issue, including through arms sales to the island despite strong objections from Beijing.
It was not immediately clear how Trump responded to Xi’s remarks.
‘Honor to be your friend’
At the start of talks in Beijing, Trump and Xi struck a notably conciliatory tone. After a welcoming ceremony with military honours at the Great Hall of the People, Trump praised Xi as a “great leader” and said the United States and China had a “fantastic” shared future.
“Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it’s true,” Trump said. “It’s an honor to be your friend.”
Xi is due to host Trump at a state banquet in the evening. The Chinese president said he was convinced that the common interests between the United States and China were greater than their differences. He also raised whether the two countries could create a “new model for relations between great powers.”
The Chinese president referred to the “Thucydides Trap,” a term used to describe the risk of a dangerous rivalry between a rising power and an established leading power.
The talks are expected to focus heavily on trade after months of tensions between Washington and Beijing. Trump had previously threatened China with steep tariffs during the past year.
According to U.S. journalists, the first meeting between Trump and Xi lasted around two hours. Chinese state media later reported that Xi met with senior U.S. business leaders who had travelled to Beijing with Trump, including Apple chief executive Tim Cook and Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Also in attendance was Jensen Huang, the head of chipmaker Nvidia, whose semiconductors are considered crucial for the development of artificial intelligence.
During the meeting, Xi reportedly said that China’s doors would open even wider and emphasized that China welcomes deeper cooperation with the United States.
The war involving Iran is also expected to feature in discussions. Washington hopes China can help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Following the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran largely brought shipping to a standstill through threats and attacks. China is typically the largest buyer of Iranian oil.
Trump and Xi last met in late October ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, where they agreed a pause in the ongoing tariff dispute. Trade issues are also likely to be discussed in their talks Thursday.
Ahead of the meeting, Xinhua said relations between China and the U.S. were too important to fail. On major international issues, from trade and financial markets to climate and artificial intelligence, coordination between Beijing and Washington was crucial, it said.
A single meeting would not resolve all problems, Xinhua wrote, but it could help strengthen communication and rebuild trust.
Trump is set to leave China on Friday.
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