Xi warns Trump of possible conflict over Taiwan at grand Beijing summit

 

The two leaders met for high-stakes talks Thursday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with trade and the Iran war also high on the agenda.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Thursday of “clashes and even conflicts” with the United States over Taiwan, cautioning President Donald Trump that tensions over the Beijing-claimed island could jeopardize ties between the world’s two biggest economies.

The stark warning was delivered as the two leaders met for high-stakes talks in Beijing at the start of their two-day summit. It contrasted with the public praise offered by both men as they arrived for a grand welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital.

Follow live coverage of President Trump’s China trip from NBC News reporters, editors and correspondents on the ground in Beijing.

The rival superpowers entered the summit divided over thorny issues including Taiwan, trade disputes and the Iran war, though both Washington and Beijing have sought to prioritize stability in relations after a turbulent start to Trump’s second term.

Differences in the two countries’ tone at the summit — as well as differing versions of what Trump and Xi discussed — reflected the likely difficulties in bridging those gaps.

One persistent source of tension is Taiwan, which Xi stressed to Trump is the most important issue in U.S.-China relations, according to a Chinese readout of the meeting.

If the issue is handled properly, the relationship can remain “generally stable,” said the readout from China’s foreign ministry spokesperson.

“Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,” Xi is said to have told Trump.

Taiwan was widely expected to be a top agenda item during the two-day state visit by Trump, the first by a U.S. president since he last went to China during his first term in 2017.

Citing past comments by Trump, U.S. lawmakers and others had raised concerns that he could make concessions to Xi on Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy that Beijing has vowed to control by force if necessary. Trump administration officials have said repeatedly that U.S. policy on Taiwan is not expected to change.

There was no mention of Taiwan in the American readout of Trump’s bilateral meeting with Xi, which the U.S. described as a “good meeting” focused on enhancing economic cooperation. Both leaders had sought to extend a fragile trade truce reached last October when they met in South Korea.

Instead, the U.S. description focused heavily on the war with Iran, which has loomed large over the summit and caused it to be postponed by six weeks. Trump had been expected to seek greater assistance from China, which has close ties with Iran, in bringing an end to the conflict.

According to the White House, Xi expressed opposition to the militarization of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route whose effective shutdown by Iran has disrupted global energy supplies, as well as any effort to charge a toll for its use. He also voiced interest in buying American oil to lessen China’s dependence on the waterway, and agreed with the U.S. position that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, a White House official said.

The Chinese readout made no specific mention of Iran, saying only that the two leaders “exchanged views on major international and regional issues including the Middle East situation,” according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.

The day began with an elaborate welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, an ornate building that borders Tiananmen Square, where Trump was all smiles as he was greeted by Xi along with leaping schoolchildren and a military honor band.

There was no “big, fat hug” from Xi as Trump promised last month, but the pair had an extended handshake and Trump later offered him several warm pats on the arm as they toured the plaza.

The two leaders exchanged praise in their opening remarks, with Trump hailing their “fantastic relationship.” He said he had “such respect” for Xi and China, praising him as a “great leader.”

“We’ve gotten along when there were difficulties, we worked it out,” Trump said.

Xi said the world had “reached a new crossroads” and that the U.S. and China had a responsibility to work together.

“We should be partners, not rivals, achieve success for one another, prosper together and forge a correct way for major countries of the new era to get along with each other,” he said.

Xi, who pushed back against Trump’s tariffs last year in an escalating tit-for-tat, said the U.S. and China had made progress on trade talks and repeated past comments that “trade wars have no winner,” according to the readout.

He said he welcomed the “generally balanced and positive outcomes” achieved in the latest round of talks, which were held Wednesday in South Korea and led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

The bilateral meeting ended after about two hours and 15 minutes, after which the two leaders made a brief visit to the Temple of Heaven, a historic Beijing site from the imperial age.

Trump and Xi posed briefly for a photo below the steps of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, part of a vast architectural masterpiece that dates to 1420. Asked about the talks, Trump said they were “great.”

“Great place, incredible. China is beautiful,” he said.

Trump’s demeanor had shifted noticeably, however, by the time he and Xi arrived at the Temple of Heaven. Gone were the warm gestures and pats. Instead the two leaders barely exchanged remarks during the tour, while Trump wore a serious expression.

Trump is joined on the trip by a delegation of American CEOs including Elon Musk, whose EV maker Tesla has a production facility in Shanghai.

Others include Apple’s Tim Cook and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, a last-minute addition to the trip who joined the delegation at a refueling stop in Alaska. Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg is also on the trip, with the White House previewing a possible aerospace deal, along with other executives from the finance and agriculture industries.

Trump said ahead of his Wednesday arrival in Beijing that his “very first request” to Xi would be to grant American companies greater access to China, one of the biggest U.S. trading partners.

“They look forward to trade and doing business, and it’s going to be totally reciprocal on our behalf,” Trump said of the CEOs.

The business executives joined Trump and Xi later Thursday for a lavish state banquet. The two leaders will meet again Friday morning before Trump returns to Washington.

In a nod to the historic nature of the summit, ahead of the bilateral talks Xi invoked the Thucydides Trap — a theory that describes the tendency toward conflict when an emerging power threatens an existing power.

“The world has come to a new crossroads,” Xi said in his opening remarks. “Can China and the United States overcome the so-called Thucydides Trap and create a new model of relations between major countries? Can we work together to address global challenges and bring more stability to the world?”

“These are questions of history, questions of the world and questions of the people,” Xi told Trump. “They are also answers that you and I, as leaders of major countries, must write for our times.”

Source: NBC