Mishandling Taiwan could push US-China ties into dangerous point, Xi warns Trump

Xi Jinping described Taiwan as the most critical issue in relations between Beijing and Washington and warned Donald Trump that mishandling the matter could damage bilateral ties.

In Short

• Xi calls Taiwan most important issue in China-US relations
• Beijing warns Donald Trump to handle Taiwan issue well
• Says missteps will push ties into 'very dangerous place'

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday issued a sharp warning to US President Donald Trump over Taiwan, saying mishandling the issue could push Beijing and Washington towards conflict and drive bilateral ties into “a very dangerous place”, according to Chinese state media.

The remarks came during Trump’s high-stakes summit meeting with Xi in Beijing, where the Taiwan question dominated discussions between the two leaders amid growing strategic rivalry between the world’s two largest economies.

According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Xi described Taiwan as the “most important issue” and "biggest common denominator" in China-US relations and warned that failure to manage the matter carefully could lead to direct confrontation between the two powers.

However, Trump declined to comment on whether he and Xi discussed Taiwan. When reporters asked how the talks with Xi had gone, US President Donald Trump simply replied, “Great,” and did not respond to follow-up questions on whether Taiwan was discussed.

Beijing claims that Taiwan, a self-governed democratic island, is part of the “One China” principle and insists the island is an inseparable part of its territory, vowing eventual “reunification”. China strongly opposes any move toward formal Taiwanese independence and objects to foreign governments maintaining official diplomatic ties with Taipei.

Though the US officially takes no stance on Beijing's One China policy towards Taiwan, it continues to maintain informal relations with Taipei and provides the island with defensive support, making it one of the most sensitive flashpoints in China-US relations.

As Taiwan emerged as one of the key focusses of the Xi Jinping-Donald Trump discussions, Taipei expressed gratitude to the United States for its continued support, while accusing the Chinese military of being the sole source of insecurity and instability in the region.

“We are very grateful for the United States’ long-standing support for Taiwan across all levels. The US has repeatedly reaffirmed its clear position of firm support for Taiwan,” it said.

The Taiwan government spokesperson added, “China’s military threat is the sole source of insecurity in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region”.

BEIJING VS WASHINGTON ON TAIWAN

China has repeatedly said it will not renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Beijing has proposed a “one country, two systems” framework similar to the model once applied to Hong Kong, though the proposal has found little political support in Taiwan.

In recent years, tensions across the Taiwan Strait have intensified sharply, with China conducting large-scale military drills around the island and increasing air and naval incursions near Taiwanese territory.

The United States does not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent country, but remains its most important international backer and largest arms supplier. Washington is legally bound under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide the island with defensive weapons.

Last year, the US State Department accused China of deliberately mischaracterising a United Nations resolution as part of broader “coercive attempts to isolate Taiwan from the international community”. The 1971 UN resolution recognised the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China.

In 2022, the State Department also added language referencing the “Six Assurances”, security commitments made by the administration of former US President Ronald Reagan to Taiwan and declassified in 2020.

The assurances, first issued in 1982, included commitments that the US had not agreed to end arms sales to Taiwan, would not consult Beijing in advance on such sales, and would not revise the Taiwan Relations Act, which forms the basis of Washington’s unofficial ties with the island.

At present, only 12 countries maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, most of them smaller developing nations such as Belize and Tuvalu.

However, most major Western nations and US allies maintain close unofficial ties with Taiwan through de facto embassies and continued engagement, while Taiwanese citizens are able to travel internationally using Republic of China passports.

Meanwhile, the US has also expanded strategic cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, partly in response to China’s growing military assertiveness.

- Ends