China's Xi warns Trump that differences over Taiwan could lead to conflict

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump connected Thursday that the 2 countries could clash implicit Taiwan if the contented was not handled properly, an unusually harsh admonition that stood successful opposition to the American leader’s praise for his counterpart.

The speech astatine a highly anticipated acme successful Beijing underscored conscionable however acold isolated Trump and Xi stay connected thorny issues, including the warfare successful Iran, commercialized disputes and Washington's relations with Taiwan, which is self-ruled but which China claims arsenic portion of its territory.

It besides suggested that Trump’s three-day sojourn to China is apt to beryllium longer connected pageantry and symbolism than substantive governmental oregon economical breakthroughs.

The brace met for astir 2 hours down closed doors astatine the Great Hall of the People aft an elaborate invited ceremonial featuring booming cannons, a set playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and China’s nationalist anthem, and hundreds of schoolhouse children waving flowers and American and Chinese flags.

According to a station connected X by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, Xi told Trump that “the Taiwan question is the astir important contented successful China-U.S. relations.”

"If it is handled properly, the bilateral narration volition bask wide stability. Otherwise, the 2 countries volition person clashes and adjacent conflicts, putting the full narration successful large jeopardy,” she wrote.

That came aft a little nationalist speech earlier the gathering began successful which Trump offered platitudes, telling Xi: “You’re a large leader. Sometimes radical don’t similar maine saying it, but I accidental it anyway, due to the fact that it’s true.”

“It’s an grant to beryllium your friend,” Trump said earlier promising that “the narration betwixt China and the USA is going to beryllium amended than ever before.”

Xi was acold much stark than Trump successful his opening remarks, expressing anticipation that the U.S. and China could debar struggle and asking “whether the 2 countries tin transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a caller exemplary for relations betwixt large powers.”

That's a term, fashionable successful overseas argumentation studies, that refers to the thought that erstwhile a rising powerfulness threatens to displace an established power, the effect is often war. Xi's usage of the word arsenic Trump offered optimism was noteworthy and foreshadowed his closed-door comments astir Taiwan.

Xi nevertheless struck a much conciliatory code erstwhile describing the wide relationship. “Cooperation benefits some sides, portion confrontation harms both,” Xi said. “The 2 countries should beryllium partners alternatively than rivals.”

The leaders emphasized the value of China-US relations

After their meeting, Xi took Trump connected a circuit of Beijing Temple of Heaven, and hosted a authorities banquet for him successful the evening. The Chinese person utilized his toast to enactment that helium and Trump had kept U.S.-China relations “generally stable,” but that “the satellite contiguous is changing and turbulent.”

Xi besides referenced Trump's “Make America Great Again” question and noted that “our 2 countries should beryllium partners alternatively than rivals.”

Trump, successful his toast, again called Xi “my friend” and said his sojourn had been “a large honor” punctuated by a “fantastic" archetypal afloat day. He said matters “all bully for the United States and China” were discussed Thursday “and it was a large grant to beryllium with you."

Trump besides announced that Xi would marque a reciprocal sojourn to the White House connected Sept. 24 — a day not antecedently announced.

That affirmative code besides was reflected successful the White House appraisal successful the earlier closed-door meetings, which said some leaders had touched connected ways to heighten economical cooperation, including expanding marketplace entree for American businesses into China and expanding Chinese concern into U.S. industries.

That appraisal didn't notation Taiwan directly, but, successful narration to Iran, said some sides had agreed that the Strait of Hormuz, a important waterway for lipid and earthy gas, indispensable stay open. The strait's closure has stranded tankers and caused vigor prices to spike, threatening planetary economical growth.

The warfare and its effects are dominating Trump's home docket and stoking fears astir the imaginable of a weakening U.S. system arsenic November’s midterm elections — erstwhile Republicans volition beryllium looking to support power of Congress — approach.

China is the largest purchaser of Iranian oil, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said successful an interrogation with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Trump would marque the lawsuit for Beijing to exert its power connected Iran, noting that medication officials would underscore that “economies are melting down due to the fact that of this crisis,” which means consumers are “buying little Chinese product.”

It's not wide if Trump persuaded Xi to wield his influence. The White House said Xi opposed to immoderate implementation of tolls connected vessels crossing the strait and expressed involvement successful China perchance purchasing much U.S. lipid to trim Chinese dependence connected Gulf lipid successful the future.

Taiwan issues stay contentious

Xi's informing astir Taiwan reflects China's displeasure with a U.S. program to merchantability weapons to the island. The Trump medication has approved an $11 cardinal arms bundle for Taiwan, but has yet to statesman fulfilling it.

The U.S. has a longstanding committedness to assistance the land support itself if attacked, but Trump has shown greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, fueling speculation astir whether the president could beryllium persuaded to dial backmost American support.

Taiwan, meanwhile, said it was grateful for Washington's “long-term support.”

“The authorities views each actions that lend to determination stableness and the absorption of imaginable risks from authoritarian enlargement positively,” Michelle Lee, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s premier, told reporters. She added that the U.S. “has besides repeatedly reiterated its steadfast and wide presumption of enactment for Taiwan.”

US inactive hopes to unafraid commercialized wins

The White House has insisted that Trump wouldn’t beryllium making the travel without an oculus toward securing results earlier helium leaves, suggesting determination could beryllium announcements coming connected trade.

That could see a Chinese committedness to bargain U.S. soybeans, beef and aircraft. Trump medication officials besides privation to enactment toward establishing a Board of Trade with China to code commercialized differences betwixt the countries.

The leaders discussed commercialized connected Thursday, with Xi saying that China’s doorway of accidental volition unfastened wider. Xi besides met with a postulation of U.S. concern leaders who accompanied Trump to China.

But neither broadside has yet offered factual details connected what mightiness travel retired of Trump’s travel astatine a clip erstwhile Beijing’s adjacent economical ties to Iran could complicate matters.

George Chen, a spouse astatine The Asia Group consultancy, said Xi has made his ”‘red line’ crystal clear” connected Taiwan. But Chen said Xi besides signaled a welcoming code connected the economical beforehand and a tendency to guarantee the U.S. concern assemblage that China is simply a spot wherever profits tin flow.

The U.S. and China reached a commercialized truce past twelvemonth that calmed each side’s threats to enforce steep tariffs connected the other. The White House says determination person been ongoing discussions and communal involvement successful extending the agreement.

The leaders besides discussed further stemming the travel of fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States, and expanding Chinese purchases of U.S. cultivation products, according to the White House.

___

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Darlene Superville successful Washington, Simina Mistreanu successful Bangkok and Kanis Leung successful Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.