During a meeting with U.S. President Trump in Beijing, Chinese President Xi called the Taiwan issue the most important in Sino-American relations and threatened conflict without a "correct approach" to this topic.
In the absence of a "correct approach" from Washington regarding the situation around Taiwan, there may be "clashes and even conflicts" between China and the United States, which would put relations between China and the U.S. in a very dangerous position. This statement was made by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, May 14, as reported by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
At the same time, Xi called the Taiwan issue the most important in Sino-American relations. Beijing considers Taiwan, which is governed by a democratic government, to be part of China. Taiwan, on the other hand, insists on its independence. The U.S. does not maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but does supply arms to the island.
According to several observers, China seeks to reduce U.S. influence in regions that Beijing considers strategically important, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region (APR). In recent months, the PRC has increased military activity around Taiwan and in the South China Sea, where it has intensified already tense relations with the Philippines due to mutual territorial claims.
Working Visit of U.S. President Trump to China
Donald Trump arrived in China for a working visit on May 13. He is accompanied on the trip by his son Eric, as well as high-ranking businessmen, including Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
The U.S. hopes to conclude several economic agreements with the PRC in areas such as aviation, agriculture, and energy.
Regarding other topics, in addition to Taiwan, the leaders of the two countries are expected to discuss the tariff dispute between Washington and Beijing, as well as the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran.
Initially, Trump's visit to Beijing was planned for the end of March but was postponed due to the war with Iran. The American leader had already met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October at the APEC summit in South Korea, marking their first negotiations in the last six years. The last time a U.S. president visited Beijing was in 2017, also Trump during his first presidential term.
