Xi Jinping delivered an unusually direct warning to Donald Trump during their Beijing summit, telling the U.S. president that the two countries could collide over Taiwan if the issue was not handled properly, according to a summary reported in Chinese state communications.
The exchange took place after the two leaders met privately for about two hours at the Great Hall of the People, following a welcome ceremony that included gun salutes, music, and mass participation by students waving flags and holding flowers from both countries, the Associated Press reported.
A public tone that sounded complimentary on the surface did not mask the fact that the meeting highlighted deep gaps between Beijing and Washington on several high-stakes issues, including Taiwan, Iran and related shipping concerns, and trade disputes, AP said.
According to the summary posted on X by Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi told Trump that “the question of Taiwan is the most important issue in China and the United States relations.” The message also said that if Taiwan was handled “appropriately,” the bilateral relationship would enjoy general stability, but otherwise “the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts,” endangering the broader relationship.
In the lead-up to the closed-door talks, Trump also offered praise in front of cameras, calling Xi “a great leader,” and later said he regarded it as true that some people do not like him saying so. Trump also described the meeting as an honor and said the relationship between the United States and China would be “better than ever,” while later telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that Xi expressed an interest in helping negotiate an end to the war with Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments.
Xi’s public remarks after the exchange carried a more cautionary note. AP reported that Xi said he hoped the two countries could avoid conflict and raised whether they could “transcend the ‘Thucydides trap’” and develop a new model for relations between major powers.
Rubio, who traveled with Trump, later said Washington’s Taiwan policy remained “unchanged” while warning that it would be “a terrible error” for China to attempt to take Taiwan by force, according to an interview with NBC News. Taiwan, for its part, told reporters it viewed U.S. support as positive in helping stability and managing risks linked to what it described as “authoritarian expansion.”
Beyond Taiwan, the agenda also leaned toward Iran and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. AP reported that the White House statement after the meeting did not directly mention Taiwan, but it said the two presidents agreed the strait should remain open—an outcome tied to the wider economic risks AP described from disruptions that have affected oil shipping and energy prices.
White House officials and U.S. statements also emphasized cooperation on economic issues, AP reported, including talks about improving economic ties such as widening Chinese market access for U.S. companies and increasing Chinese investment in American industries. The report also said the White House communication noted both sides discussed measures connected to chemical precursors and Iran, and increased purchases of U.S. agricultural products by China, alongside efforts to curb fentanyl precursors.
Trump later announced that Xi would visit the White House on Sept. 24, a date that had not been previously announced, as AP reported. The trip and the upbeat public framing came even as AP described U.S. and Chinese positions as still far apart on Taiwan’s dispute and how Washington will respond if the situation escalates.
Finally, the meeting underscored the political timing around Trump’s internal agenda, with AP describing the war with Iran as dominating U.S. politics as November and midterm elections near—while China remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil, according to Rubio’s comments in a Fox News interview with Hannity that AP said focused on Beijing’s influence over Tehran.