Chinese President Xi warns Trump about “conflicts” if Taiwan isn’t “handled properly” 

President Xi Jinping had stern words for President Trump on Taiwan as they met in Beijing on Thursday, warning of potential “clashes and even conflicts” if the issue isn’t “handled properly,” according to Chinese state media.

During their summit, the two leaders are seen as aiming to stabilize their trading relationship after last year’s trade war. They’re also grappling with uncertainty over the United States’ war with Iran. But the issue of Taiwan loomed large.

The closed-door session lasted roughly two hours and 15 minutes. The White House characterized the meeting as “good.” At a state banquet later, Mr. Trump said he was inviting Xi and his wife for a reciprocal visit at the White House on Sept. 24.

The White House said that several American business leaders joined for a portion of the larger bilateral meeting, with Chinese media indicating Mr. Trump introduced each one individually. The White House shared photos of the bilateral meeting on social media, where the CEOs can be seen standing behind Mr. Trump and U.S. officials.

“The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment,” the White House wrote.

Several U.S. executives were invited to travel to China. Figures like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook were among those who were in attendance at Thursday’s welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, standing alongside Trump administration officials in the U.S. delegation. China is a key market for many of their companies, with Nvidia seeking to sell more advanced chips to China.

Reporters asked Mr. Trump how the talks went and he said they were “great,” adding that China is a beautiful, incredible place.

The “Taiwan question”
Mr. Trump and Xi both ignored questions about whether they discussed Taiwan.

But a readout posted on X by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Xi stressed to Mr. Trump that “the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”

The post said Xi also told Mr. Trump that “‘Taiwan independence’ and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the U.S.”

The White House didn’t mention Taiwan in its description of the meeting.

The People’s Republic of China has long said it intends to reintegrate with Taiwan, and it has not ruled out using force to take over what it views as a breakaway province. The U.S. has provided billions of dollars in military support to Taiwan and said it opposes any unilateral change to the status quo, but the U.S. also has a longstanding policy of declining to say whether it would come to Taiwan’s defense in a war with China.

Meanwhile, some in Taiwan — a democracy that produces the vast majority of the world’s most advanced semiconductors — worry that the U.S.’ support for the island may be up for negotiation as Mr. Trump seeks agreements with China, experts say.

Xi, Trump compliment each other
At the state banquet, both Xi and Mr. Trump complimented each other. Mr. Trump said they had “extremely positive and productive conversations,” while Xi said “the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand.”

Both leaders emphasised the importance of the relationship between the U.S. and China, with Xi highlighting it as “the most important” bilateral relationship in the world.

Xi and Mr. Trump harked back to the history of the two countries’ relations, with Mr. Trump pointing toward Chinese influence in American food and culture and Xi reminding the room of Henry Kissinger’s visit to China under Richard Nixon.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported that Xi told Mr. Trump that, as Xinhua put it, “China-U.S. economic ties are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature.”

The agency quoted Xi as saying, “Yesterday, our economic and trade teams produced generally balanced and positive outcomes. This is good news for the people of the two countries and the world. Facts have shown time and again that trade wars have no winner.”

“Where disagreements and frictions exist, equal-footed consultation is the only right choice,” he said, according to Xinhua, adding that Xi called on “the two sides to jointly sustain the good momentum that they have worked hard to create.”

The White House said, “The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries. Leaders from many of the United States’ largest companies joined a portion of the meeting.”