Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Donald Trump that missteps on Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict”, a stark opening salvo as they met in Beijing on Thursday at a superpower summit. Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend” and extending an invitation to visit the White House in September.
Beyond the pomp as he welcomed Trump, Xi in less effusive tones said the two sides “should be partners and not rivals”, and highlighted the issue of Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its territory — straight off the bat. “The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to remarks published by Chinese state media shortly after the start of the talks, which lasted two hours and 15 minutes. “If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” Xi added. Trump’s trip to Beijing is the first by a US president in nearly a decade, with the grand reception belying a roster of unresolved trade and geopolitical tensions between the two countries.
