Newsman: President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Thursday in a choreographed summit in Beijing, where the Chinese leader warned that differences over Taiwan could lead to conflict between the world’s two largest economies.
As embarked on the visit, Trump was met with a ceremony that featured an honor guard, as well as a crowd of children waving Chinese and American flags.
“The relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before,” Trump said, making his opening remarks in the Great Hall of the People. During his banquet toast, Trump also invited Xi to the U.S. for a September visit.
President Xi said his country was committed to building a “relationship of strategic stability” with the U.S.
At the summit, Xi placed Taiwan, a key point of friction between the U.S. and China, at the center, calling it “the most important issue” between the two countries.
Taiwan is a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to unify Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.
The U.S. relationship with Taiwan has long been viewed with hostility in Beijing. Washington continues to sell arms to Taiwan, but has also long adopted a policy of strategic ambiguity over whether it would militarily come to Taiwan’s defense.
Xi warned the U.S. “must exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question.”
“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability,” Xi told Trump. “Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
“‘Taiwan independence’ and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water,” Xi said, adding that “safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the U.S.”
The White House readout called the meeting “good” and did not mention Taiwan and remained vague on any potential deal making.
“The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries,” a White House statement said.
Fentanyl and Chinese purchases of agricultural products were also discussed, according to the White House.
Trump and Xi last met last October on the sidelines of an APEC summit in South Korea, ending a long-standing trade war. Since then, the U.S. and China have been engaged in what analysts call a trade truce.
Trump and Xi’s meeting in the Great Hall of the People was followed by a visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a place once frequented by Chinese emperors, who prayed for good harvests.
The visit, which includes a state banquet, a tour to the compound that houses the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing and a working lunch between the two leaders, is scheduled to conclude on Friday.
Trump and Xi, according to Chinese state media, also talked about the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
“Both the United States and China want to see de-escalation of the conflict and the fallout of the U.S. war against Iran,” said Ali Wyne, senior researcher at the International Crisis Group.
Strait of Hormuz “must remain open”
The White House also said in its statement that Xi and Trump had agreed that the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway through which 20% of the world’s gas moves, must remain open.
Accompanying the U.S. delegation in Beijing are a dozen top U.S. executives, including SpaceX’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook and NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang.
According to Chinese state media, Xi told the business leaders that U.S. companies were contributing to China’s reforms and opening up. “The door to China for U.S. business would only get wider,” Xi said.
“They look forward to trade and doing business, and it’s going to be totally reciprocal on our behalf,” Trump said.
