Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a clear warning to US President Trump about Taiwan in the first round of talks on Thursday. According to state media, Beijing said relations between Beijing and Washington could reach an “extremely dangerous place” if Trump ignored China’s demands on Taiwan.
China’s ‘blunt’ warning to US on Taiwan
“Knowing that the Taiwan issue is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi told Trump that if it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will have overall stability.
“Otherwise, there will be clashes and even conflicts in the two countries, which will jeopardize the entire relationship,” Xi Jinping said, according to China’s state media, Xinhua News Agency.
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Xi Jinping has warned Donald Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to “clashes and even conflicts”, which could put the entire Sino-US relationship at risk and become an “extremely dangerous place”.
Taiwan is seen as the most important issue in Sino-US relations, as Beijing claims the island as part of its territory, while Taiwan considers itself separate from democratically elected leaders. Any forced change to the status quo is considered a potential flashpoint.
China considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory and claims that there is only one China. Beijing has vowed to “unify” Taiwan with the mainland, by force if necessary, and opposes “Taiwan independence.”
The One China principle states that Taiwan is part of China and the PRC is the only legitimate government. The One China policy is a stance where countries recognize the PRC’s claim to Taiwan but do not support it, allowing for strategic ambiguity in relations.
The US recognizes the PRC’s position that there is one China and Taiwan is part of it, while maintaining strong unofficial relations with Taiwan. The US does not support Taiwan independence, but also does not approve of Beijing’s demand.
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The Chinese president also emphasized that “Taiwan independence‘ and peace across the strait are as irreconcilable as fire and water.
Following Thursday’s comments, Xi called Chinese Taipei the “only risk” to regional peace and insisted that “the US side has repeatedly confirmed its clear and firm support,” AFP reported.
Adam Ni, editor of the China Neican newsletter, told AFP that while Xi’s “blurred language” was not unusual in party-state media, it was unusual for the leader himself.
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What is the ‘Taiwan Question’?
Taiwan has been a sensitive issue for China for years. Beijing claims the East Asian island nation, which democratically elects its president, is part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or mainland China, a claim denied by Taiwan’s leaders.
Mainland China, officially the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which is ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), claims Taiwan as an integral part of its territory, although it has never ruled the island.
China has pledged to eventually “unify” Taiwan with the mainland, preferably by peaceful means, but if necessary by force.
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“Taiwan is China’s territory. China must protect its own sovereignty and territorial integrity and will never allow Taiwan to be separated from the motherland,” Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference on February 5, 2026.
In 2024, Chen Binhua was quoted by Reuters as saying that China’s stance of not renouncing the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control is aimed at “foreign interference and a small number of separatists…”
However, Taiwan considers itself separate from mainland China, with its own constitution and democratically elected leaders.
Over the past few years, China has staged large-scale war games around Taiwan and regularly sends fighter jets and warships into the Taiwan Strait.
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Is China part of Taiwan?
The Republic of China (ROC) was founded in 1912 in China. At the time, Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule as a result of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, in which the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan, according to the Taiwanese government. After Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, it handed over Taiwan and Penghu to the ROC.
The dispute dates back to 1949 and to the end of Chinese Civil War between the ruling nationalist government and the rebel communists.
The Communists won the conflict, seizing control of mainland China in 1949 and forcing the Nationalists to retreat to Taiwan, where, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, they established a government-in-exile and maintained their claim to the mainland.
Today, Beijing, led by the CCP, declares that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of it.
As Taiwan’s status remains a flashpoint, China has repeatedly urged relevant countries, including the US, to uphold the “one China principle”.
One China vs. one china policy
According to the Taiwan Center for Security Studies, the terms One China Policy and One China Principle refer to Taiwan’s position. Although used interchangeably, they carry different diplomatic meanings and obligations.
He explains that the one-China principle states that Taiwan is part of China and that there is only one legitimate and sovereign state representing all of China, namely the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It strengthens Beijing’s authority over the island.
Meanwhile, several countries claim to support the “one China policy”. The organization said this is a stance some countries are taking as they navigate their Taiwan-China relations.
“Countries using this policy recognize the PRC’s claim to Taiwan but do not endorse it, allowing for strategic ambiguity. States can then engage with Taiwan unofficially while maintaining formal ties to Beijing,” the organization added.
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Where does the US stand?
“The US and Taiwan have a strong unofficial relationship,” says the US government.
“The 1979 US-PRC Joint Communiqué changed diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. In the Joint Communiqué, the US recognized the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, thereby recognizing the Chinese position that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China,” official statement reads.
However, in August 2022, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s highly controversial visit to Taiwan sparked a major geopolitical crisis.
Pelosi became the most senior US official to visit the self-ruled island in 25 years, prompting strong condemnation from Beijing, the BBC reported at the time.
But then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Pelosi’s visit sent a message to the world that “democracies stand together” in the face of common challenges.
