China’s leader, Xi Jinping, delivered a warning on Taiwan to President Trump as the two leaders began their summit in Beijing on Thursday, saying that the issue, if handled poorly, could lead to conflict and “an extremely dangerous situation.”
The two men met in the Chinese capital in a ceremony laden with pageantry and pleasantries. But Mr. Xi’s warning was a stark reminder that Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by China, is a red line.
The two-day summit, the first U.S. presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, could determine whether a détente that has prevailed between the two countries will continue — and what concessions, if any, either side is willing to make.
Mr. Xi greeted Mr. Trump on Thursday morning outside the Great Hall of the People. They shook hands before walking together past an honor guard and rows of cheering children. As “The Star-Spangled Banner” played, a 21-gun salute echoed across Tiananmen Square.
Inside the Great Hall, Mr. Xi called for the two countries to work together to confront an increasingly “complex and turbulent world.”
“We should be partners, not adversaries,” he said.
Mr. Trump emphasized his personal relationship with Mr. Xi, and said the two leaders speak to each other on the phone to work out problems. “You’re a great leader,” he told Mr. Xi.
But Mr. Xi made clear that Taiwan had the potential to spoil the relationship. “If handled poorly, the two countries will collide or even clash, putting the entire U.S.-China relationship in an extremely dangerous situation,” he said while referring to Taiwan, according to a readout from Xinhua, China’s official news agency.
One of China’s related priorities is persuading the United States to curtail its arms sales to Taiwan.
Aside from Taiwan, Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump discussed trade, the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to Xinhua. Details about the talks were not immediately released and there was little indication of whether there had been any breakthroughs.
The two men last met in October in South Korea, where they agreed to pause a trade war in which Beijing had threatened sweeping new export restrictions on rare earths in response to heavy U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. Mr. Xi decided at the time to postpone those measures for a year. A question looming over the summit is whether China will agree to an extension.
A number of top executives, including Jensen Huang of the chip giant Nvidia, have joined the president in China. American business leaders have been pushing for measures that would further open the Chinese market, though analysts say that a major deal is unlikely.
Some business leaders appeared upbeat after the Trump-Xi meeting. “Wonderful!” Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, shouted to reporters as he left the Great Hall.
The president is also expected to urge Mr. Xi to help persuade Iran, China’s closest partner in the Middle East, to end the deadlocked war that the United States and Israel started in late February.
Mr. Xi will have other priorities. Analysts say that apart from Taiwan, he may push for the loosening of U.S. export controls on advanced technology, for pledges to not to raise tariffs and for the lifting of sanctions on Chinese companies.
Forcing major U.S. policy shifts on Taiwan would be a long shot. But Mr. Xi has a powerful card to play: China’s economic leverage over Iran, and the prospect that it could potentially help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway that has been blocked since the war started.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
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Summit Security: Chinese officials rolled out an array of security measures in Beijing, closing parks and major roads. Read more ›
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Ancient Landmarks: Mr. Trump’s visit will take him to some of China’s most politically and historically significant places, including the Temple of Heaven and the Great Hall of the People. Read more ›
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Human Rights: Mr. Trump has said he will raise the case of Jimmy Lai, an imprisoned pro-democracy media mogul. Other human rights issues, including the repression of the Uyghurs, are unlikely to make the agenda. Read more ›
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Imperial Style: In private meetings with less powerful foreign leaders, Mr. Xi carries himself as a philosopher king in the mold of ancient Chinese rulers. Read more ›