Chinese President Xi ‘Sternly’ Warns Trump Against Missteps On Taiwan During Beijing Summit

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Chinese President Xi Jinping has cautioned United States President Donald Trump that any wrong move on the Taiwan issue could damage ties between both countries and possibly trigger conflict.

The warning came on Thursday as the two leaders met in Beijing for a high-profile summit that focused on trade, security and regional tensions.

Trump arrived in China with warm remarks for his host. He described Xi as a “great leader” and “friend”. The American president also invited the Chinese leader to visit the White House in September.

Despite the cordial atmosphere at the start of the meeting, Xi made it clear that Taiwan remains Beijing’s top concern in relations with Washington.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to remarks released by Chinese state media after the talks began.

“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” he added.

The discussions between both leaders reportedly lasted for two hours and 15 minutes at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Xi also urged both nations to maintain cooperation instead of rivalry. He said China and the United States “should be partners and not rivals”.

Trump, who is facing domestic pressure over the ongoing conflict involving Iran, described the summit as highly significant.

“There are those who say this may be the biggest summit ever,” Trump said during brief remarks after a welcoming ceremony in Beijing.

The ceremony featured an honour guard and children waving flowers and flags to welcome the American delegation.

According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi told Trump that earlier negotiations between Chinese and American economic officials in South Korea produced “balanced and positive outcomes”.

Al Jazeera correspondent Katrina Yu, who reported from Beijing, said Chinese authorities appeared willing to manage disagreements with Washington on several issues, including trade, Iran and technology.

However, she noted that Taiwan remains a red line for Beijing.

“But there is one issue China and President Xi cannot be flexible on. That is Taiwan,” Yu said.

“And everything that Beijing has offered in the last few hours – niceties, friendliness, reaching out a hand to cooperate more closely – is not free and is conditional on one thing: Washington accepts that there is only one China and that Beijing is very serious about getting Taiwan under its control.”