Xi warns Trump Taiwan issue could lead to 'conflict' as US-China summit starts

AFP/ Reuters: Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Donald Trump that the issue of Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict” if mishandled, a stark opening salvo as a superpower summit set to tackle numerous thorny issues began in Beijing on Thursday.

Trump had arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend”, as he predicted that their countries would have “a fantastic future together”.

But beyond the pomp as he welcomed Trump, Xi used less effusive tones, saying the two sides “should be partners and not rivals” and highlighting the issue of self-ruled democratic Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its territory — straight off the bat.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The trip to Beijing is the first by a US president in nearly a decade, with the grand reception belying a host of unresolved trade and geopolitical tensions between the two countries.

Xi greeted Trump with a red-carpet welcome at the opulent Great Hall of the People, with military band fanfare, a gun salute and a host of schoolchildren jumping and chanting “welcome!”.

Seemingly enjoying the ceremony, Trump said that the “relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before”.

Xi instead referenced an ancient Greek political theory about the risks of war when a rising power rivals a ruling power, as he questioned if China and the US could find ways to work together as equals instead.

“Can China and the United States transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations?” Xi asked, adding that “cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both”.

“A stable China-US relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals,” Xi said.

Xi added he was “happy” to receive Trump for the US leader’s first trip to China since 2017 as “the world has arrived at a new crossroads”.

He also told US CEOs accompanying Trump that China’s door would only open wider, and that he believed US companies would have broader prospects in the country, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Xi met with the delegation of CEOs, including Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Apple’s Tim Cook in the Great Hall of the People, according to CCTV.

Musk told reporters afterwards the meeting had been “wonderful”, while Huang said the two presidents “were incredible”.