Xi Warns Trump Taiwan Could Trigger US-China Conflict at High-Stakes Beijing Summit

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping placed the Taiwan issue at the center of their high-stakes summit in Beijing, with Xi warning that mishandling the matter could push the United States and China toward direct confrontation.

According to Chinese state media, Xi told Trump that “the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” adding that if it is handled improperly, the two countries could “collide or even come into conflict,” putting bilateral relations in a “very dangerous” situation. The remarks were reported by CCTV and China’s Xinhua news agency during the closed-door talks at the Great Hall of the People.

Trump struck a more conciliatory tone publicly, praising Xi as a “great leader” and saying the relationship between the two powers could become “better than ever.” Xi, however, referenced the so-called “Thucydides Trap” — the historical theory that rivalry between a rising power and an established superpower can ultimately lead to war — underscoring Beijing’s concern over growing strategic tensions.

The summit discussions focused on four major issues:

Taiwan and regional security

Trade and tariff disputes

Artificial intelligence and technology competition

The Iran war and broader Middle East instability

China also signaled potential economic goodwill during the summit. Beijing renewed export licenses for hundreds of US beef processing plants, a move widely interpreted as a gesture aimed at easing trade tensions. Xi further told a delegation of American business leaders that China’s doors would “open wider and wider” to foreign companies.

Several high-profile US executives accompanied Trump to Beijing, including Elon Musk, Jensen Huang and Tim Cook, reflecting the growing importance of technology, AI and market access in US-China relations.

Analysts say the summit is unlikely to produce immediate breakthroughs, but its broader objective is to stabilize ties between the world’s two largest powers and prevent escalating tensions from spiraling into a deeper geopolitical or military crisis. Taiwan remains the most sensitive and potentially dangerous flashpoint in the US-China relationship.