Beijing (AFP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Donald Trump that the issue of Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict” if mishandled, a stark opening salvo as a superpower summit set to tackle numerous thorny issues began in Beijing Thursday. Trump had arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” as he predicted that their countries would have “a fantastic future together.”
But beyond the pomp as he welcomed Trump, Xi used less effusive tones, saying the two sides “should be partners and not rivals” and highlighting the issue of self-ruled democratic 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 state broadcaster CCTV. “If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation.”
The trip to Beijing is the first by a US president in nearly a decade, with the grand reception belying a host of unresolved trade and geopolitical tensions between the two countries. Xi greeted Trump with a red-carpet welcome at the opulent Great Hall of the People, with military band fanfare, a gun salute, and a host of schoolchildren jumping and chanting “welcome!” Seemingly enjoying the ceremony, Trump said, “The relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.”
Xi instead referenced an ancient Greek political theory about the risks of war when a rising power rivals a ruling power, as he questioned if China and the US could find ways to work together as equals instead. “Can China and the United States transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations?” Xi asked, adding that “cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both.” There has been plenty of the latter since Trump’s last visit in 2017, with the two countries having spent much of 2025 embroiled in a dizzying trade war and at odds on many major global issues.
Taiwan is a longstanding sore point. The United States recognizes only Beijing but under domestic law is required to provide weapons to Taiwan so that it can defend itself. China has sworn to take Taiwan and has not ruled out using force, ramping up military pressure around the island in recent years. Trump said Monday he would speak to Xi about US arms sales to Taiwan, which would be a departure from historic US insistence that it will not consult Beijing on its support for the island.
A new addition to the list of contentious issues, the Iran war, threatens to weaken Trump’s position in the talks, having already forced him to postpone his trip from March. The US president said he expected a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China, but insisted that “I don’t think we need any help with Iran” from Beijing. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, known throughout his career as a fierce opponent of Beijing, struck a somewhat different tone. “We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they are doing now, and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf,” Rubio told broadcaster Fox News in an interview aired Wednesday.
Top of Trump’s wish list for the summit will be business deals on agriculture, aircraft, and other topics. Elite businessmen in the US leader’s delegation, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk, were on the stairs of the Great Hall of the People on Thursday for the welcome ceremony. Musk told reporters afterwards the meeting had been “wonderful,” while Huang said the two presidents “were incredible.”
The long-simmering trade war between the two countries will also be prominent, after Trump’s sweeping tariffs last year triggered tit-for-tat levies that exceeded 100 percent. Trump and Xi are set to discuss extending a one-year tariff truce, which the two leaders reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October, although a deal is far from certain. China’s controls on rare earth exports and AI rivalry are among other topics expected to be taken up by the two heads of state. Trump will be treated to a state banquet in the evening with Xi and will also visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a World Heritage site where China’s emperors once prayed for good harvest.
© 2024 AFP
