Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned US President Donald Trump on Thursday that Washington and Beijing could come into conflict if the Taiwan issue is mishandled, Chinese state media reported.
“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.”
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Trump, making the first visit to Beijing by a US president in nearly a decade, was welcomed at the Great Hall of the People with a red carpet, military band fanfare, a gun salute and schoolchildren chanting “welcome.”
The ceremonial reception contrasted with a long list of unresolved tensions between the two powers, including trade, Taiwan, Iran and broader geopolitical competition.
Trump reportedly told Xi it was “an honor to be your friend,” while the Chinese leader struck a more restrained tone, saying the two countries “should be partners and not rivals.”
Xi urged the two sides to choose cooperation over confrontation, saying “a stable China-US relationship is a boon for the world.”
“Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both,” Xi said.
The meeting comes after months of renewed trade tensions between Washington and Beijing in 2025, as well as disagreements over major global security issues.
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Iran was also expected to feature prominently in the talks. Trump said he expected a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China, but added: “I don’t think we need any help with Iran.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, long known as a China hawk, suggested Washington did want Beijing to play a role.
“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 Fox News on Wednesday.
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