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Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday that China and the United States could face “clashes and even conflicts” if the Taiwan issue is not handled properly, according to Chinese state media.
Xi made the remarks during closed-door talks with Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the U.S. president is on a state visit.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” Xi said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into a highly perilous situation,” he said.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Xi said that if the Taiwan issue is handled properly, bilateral relations would remain stable. Otherwise, he warned, the two countries could face “clashes and even conflicts.”
Xi also said peace across the Taiwan Strait is “irreconcilable as fire and water” with Taiwan independence.
Taiwan said after the remarks that the U.S. had repeatedly reaffirmed its “clear and firm support” for the island.
“The U.S. side has repeatedly reaffirmed its clear and firm support for Taiwan,” Taiwan Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee told reporters.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry also said China was the “sole risk” to regional peace and stability, citing Beijing’s “military harassment” and grey-zone activities around Taiwan and the region.
“The Beijing authorities are currently the sole risk to regional peace and stability,” the ministry said, adding that “Beijing has no right to make any claims on behalf of Taiwan internationally.”
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory. The U.S. recognizes only Beijing, but is required under domestic law to provide Taiwan with arms so it can defend itself. Taiwan has insisted on its independence since 1949.
Trump said Monday that he would discuss U.S. support for Taiwan’s defense with Xi.
“President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about,” Trump said.
According to The New York Times, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has urged Trump to move forward with a delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan that has been stalled at the U.S. State Department for months.
The U.S., Taiwan’s top arms supplier, approved $11 billion in arms sales last year, prompting protests from Beijing.
The Taiwan warning came as Trump and Xi opened talks aimed at stabilizing relations between Washington and Beijing.
The summit, which runs until May 15, covers trade, the Iran war, Taiwan, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to Chinese media.
Trump told Xi that the two nations would have a “fantastic future together.”
“It’s an honour to be with you. It’s an honour to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before,” Trump said.
Xi said the two countries should be “partners and not rivals.”
“A stable China-U.S. relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals,” Xi said.
Xi also said negotiations between U.S. and Chinese economic and trade teams in South Korea on Wednesday had produced “overall balanced and positive outcomes,” according to China’s Foreign Ministry.
The two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in trade and agriculture and exchanged views on the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to CCTV.
Trump is seeking deals for China to buy more U.S. agricultural products and aircraft, saying he would discuss trade with Xi “more than anything else.”
Trump is also expected to encourage China to push Iran toward a deal with Washington. He earlier said he would have a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its U.S.-sanctioned oil to China.
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