Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned Donald Trump that the United States and China could “come into conflict” over Taiwan if Washington expands its support for the self-governed island, in one of the starkest public signals yet of rising tensions between superpowers.
Xi described Taiwan as the “most important issue in China–US relations” in remarks released by state media following the leaders’ bilateral meeting on Thursday.
“If it is handled well, bilateral relations can remain generally stable,” Xi said. “If it is not handled properly, the two countries could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China–US relationship into a very dangerous situation,” ultimately leading to the US being at war.
The comments came in the first official account of the meeting between the two leaders, which reportedly lasted two hours and 15 minutes and ran over schedule by more than an hour.
Before talks began, Xi told both delegations that “the whole world is watching our meeting”, urging the two countries to remain “friends, not rivals” despite growing strategic rivalry across the Indo-Pacific.
Trump, meanwhile, struck a more conciliatory tone, praising his personal relationship with Xi and suggesting that disputes between the two powers could be resolved quickly through direct engagement.
“I say it to everybody [that] you’re a great leader – sometimes people don’t like me saying it – but I say it anyway because it’s true. I always say the truth,” Trump said.
However, the White House readout of the meeting did not mention Taiwan, instead highlighting discussions on economic cooperation, Chinese investment in US industries, and American business activity in China.
Officials said the talks were “positive”, adding that both sides had also agreed the Strait of Hormuz “must remain open to support the free flow of energy”.
According to the US summary, Xi also opposed the “militarisation” of the waterway and indicated interest in increasing Chinese purchases of American oil to reduce reliance on Middle Eastern shipping routes.
Both sides also reiterated that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
While the two leaders avoided any immediate breakdown in relations, Xi’s warning over Taiwan underscores the continuing volatility at the centre of US–China ties, where cooperation on trade and energy increasingly sits alongside deep strategic mistrust.
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