Trump China visit live: Xi Jinping warns US and China could ‘come into conflict’ if Taiwan issue mishandled, state media reports

We are waiting for the US to issue any comments on the meetings between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing today, but the Chinese foreign ministry has released a statement on the talks.

Here is what the two leaders discussed, according to the ministry readout:

• Xi emphasised that Taiwan “is the most important issue in China-US relations”, adding that, if handled poorly, “the two countries will clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a very dangerous place”.

• The Chinese president questioned whether the US and China “can transcend the “Thucydides Trap” (see earlier post) and forge a new paradigm for great power relations”.

• Xi said he and Trump agreed to establish a “constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the US” as the new framework for bilateral relations.

• On trade, US and Chinese economic and trade teams “reached an overall balanced and positive outcome” in discussions yesterday.

• Xi said Beijing’s door “to the outside world will only open wider … American companies will enjoy even brighter prospects in China”.

• The two leaders “exchanged views on major international and regional issues”, including the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean peninsula.

• Trump told Xi he is “a great leader and China is a great country, and he deeply respects President Xi and the Chinese people”.

• During the talks, Trump “introduced the business leaders who accompanied him to Xi Jinping one by one”.

Xi Jinping lauded a new era of US-China relations after hosting meetings with Donald Trump in Beijing.

A statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said:

Xi Jinping emphasised that China is committed to the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations. He stated that he and president Trump agreed to establish a “constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the US” as a new positioning for China-US relations, which will provide strategic guidance for China-US relations for the next three years and beyond, and is believed to be welcomed by the people of both countries and the international community. “Constructive strategic stability” should be positive stability based on cooperation, benign stability with moderate competition, normalised stability with manageable differences, and lasting stability with a promising future of peace. “A constructive strategic and stable relationship between China and the US” is not just a slogan, but should be a matter of concerted action.

Taiwan has issued a statement after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up their summit in Beijing today, warning that China is the “sole risk” to regional peace and stability.

It came after the Chinese leader delivered a warning of his own to the US president, saying the Taiwan issue, if not handled well, could lead to conflict and push China-US relations into “a very dangerous place”.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry has pushed back, saying China is “currently the sole risk to regional peace and stability”. It pointed to China’s “military harassment” and grey-zone activities around Taiwan and the region as evidence, adding that “Beijing has no right to make any claims on behalf of Taiwan internationally”.

Earlier, Taiwan cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee said Taiwan was grateful for the US’s “long-term support” and that Washington has “repeatedly reiterated its firm and clear position of support” for the island.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine as well as North Korea during talks in Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

“The two heads of state exchanged views on major international and regional issues such as the situation in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis, and the Korean peninsula,” the ministry said in a statement.

It remains to be seen whether the US president can convince the Chinese leader to help him end the war with Iran. China is a close ally of Iran and the world’s biggest buyer of Iranian oil.

In case you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of the day’s main events as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping kicked off their high-stakes summit in Beijing, where it’s now 2pm.

• Xi and Trump began a series of meetings on Thursday in a two-day US-China summit that is expected to cover divisive issues ranging from trade, technology and Taiwan to the Iran war but with few breakthroughs expected.

• Xi said at the start of about two hours of bilateral talks in the Great Hall of the People on Thursday that 2026 marked 250 years of US independence and that stability in the US-China relationship was necessary for global stability.

• Trump said Xi was a “great leader” and that the two countries’ relationship was “going to be better than ever”.

• Xi later told Trump their countries could come into conflict if the issue over self-ruled Taiwan claimed by Beijing was mishandled, Chinese state media said. “The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said.

• Marco Rubio said US officials would try to persuade China to take a more “active role” in resolving the conflict in Iran, the US secretary of state told Fox News while en route to China.

• Trump also hopes to focus talks on trade and deals for China to buy more agricultural products and passenger planes, setting up a board to address their differences and avoid a repeat of the trade war ignited last year after Trump’s tariff hikes.

• Xi told a delegation of US business executives that China would “open wider” to the world. “American companies will enjoy even brighter prospects in China,” Xi was quoted by Chinese state media as saying amid the summit. Tesla chief Elon Musk, Nvidia boss Jensen Huang and Apple head Tim Cook are among the business leaders who travelled with Trump to Beijing.

• China has renewed export licences for hundreds of US beef processing plants, customs data showed, in a possible goodwill gesture amid the Beijing summit.

• Trump and Xi visited Beijing’s historic Temple of Heaven after concluding their talks, and are to attend a state banquet later on Thursday. Trump is expected to leave just after midday on Friday after a final private meeting with Xi.

• Asian shares were mixed on Thursday as investors closely monitored takeaways from the summit.
  With news agencies

China has renewed export licences for hundreds of US beef processing plants, customs data showed, in a possible goodwill gesture as the leaders of both countries met in Beijing.

More than 400 US beef plants lost export eligibility over the past year as Beijing’s permissions – granted between March 2020 and April 2021 – lapsed without the customary renewal, accounting for roughly 65% of the once-registered facilities.

Agriculture has been expected to play a big part in any trade deal and the renewals are the first official pointer to likely elements of a final package shaping in the talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, Reuters is reporting.

“This shows China has released some goodwill gestures in areas that aren’t too critical to US-China trade relations,” said Xu Hongzhi, a senior analyst at Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultants.

The step is likely to cheer US beef producers told by the White House in recent weeks the issue would be raised during the summit.

Cargill CEO Brian Sikes is among the US CEOs accompanying Donald Trump to Beijing. Plants owned by Cargill and Tyson Foods were included in the renewal.

Xi Jinping has told a delegation of US business executives that China will “open wider” to the world.

“China’s doors to the outside world will open wider and wider… American companies will enjoy even brighter prospects in China,” Xi was quoted by Chinese state media as saying during the US-China summit in Beijing on Thursday.

Tesla chief Elon Musk, Nvidia boss Jensen Huang and Apple head Tim Cook are among the contingent of business leaders who reportedly travelled to Beijing with Donald Trump.

On the streets of Beijing there has been heightened security for the Xi-Trump summit – as well as scepticism about the US.

Yaoji Chaogan, a no-frills canteen next to Beijing’s historic Drum and Bell towers, once proudly displayed photographs of Joe Biden, whose 2011 visit to the eatery when he was US vice-president went viral in China. But evidence of him stopping in was removed during redecorations a few years ago, and a visit from a US leader is no longer something to boast about, writes Amy Hawkins in Beijing.

“If US politicians were really smart, they wouldn’t try to hold China back,” Liu Cheng, 47, said at the restaurant on Wednesday.

Whoever was US president, Liu said, “it’s more or less the same for ordinary people like us”.

Before they take office, US presidents may say very extreme things, but once they are in office they have no choice but to face the reality of China’s existence.”

He said the US was struggling to accept the fact of China’s rise. The US “sees China has a threat … I think it will probably take about 10 years for the US to accept it”.

Liu Chunlei, a 36-year-old taxi driver, said the issue of Taiwanese independence was driving a wedge between the two superpowers. But he welcomed that Trump was willing to visit Beijing.

It will definitely help ease China-US relations a little … it shows that his attitude towards China is not hostile.”

Others expressed scepticism, with one user on the social media platform Weibo writing:

There’s no point discussing anything with Trump. He’ll change his mind once he gets back. What he says in the morning can also change by the afternoon.”

See the full story here:

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have visited Beijing’s historic Temple of Heaven after concluding their high-stakes talks.

The two leaders reportedly arrived at the world heritage site on Thursday shortly after 1pm (0500 GMT), where Trump told media that “China’s beautiful”.

The Temple of Heaven is a religious complex dating from the Ming dynasty in the 15th century, and has been closed to visitors since Tuesday ahead of Trump’s tour.

The temple is a significant monument in the history of Beijing and Washington. Henry Kissinger visited it on a secret visit to China in 1971, a trip that paved the way for the US and China to establish formal diplomatic relations.

Curious about what is happening in Beijing?

Take a look at our gallery on the Xi-Trump summit, replete with scenes from the country’s capital.

Here are three of them:

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up their meeting after about two hours of talks covering Taiwan, trade and other differences in US-China relations.

The meeting was behind closed doors and the White House didn’t offer an official readout afterwards, but China’s official Xinhua news agency said Xi told Trump that if Taiwan was not handled correctly, the US and China risked “clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy”.

That followed public opening remarks at the Great Hall of the People in which Trump was full of praise for Xi, saying “you’re a great leader” and that “it’s an honour to be your friend”.

Xi was darker in his opening remarks, expressing hope the US and China could avoid conflict while saying that history and the world were asking “whether the two countries can transcend the “Thucydides Trap” (see earlier post) and forge a new model for relations between major powers”, the AP reported.

A White House official is also confirming that Trump and Xi’s summit meeting has finished.

Taiwan is reportedly saying the US has “reaffirmed its clear and firm support” for the island for the island.

More on this soon.

The Xi-Trump meeting has now concluded, Chinese state media channel CCTV is saying.

The meeting between Trump and Xi and their delegations is still continuing in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, a White House official has been quoted as saying.

Xi Jinping has told Donald Trump their countries could come into conflict if the issue over self-ruled Taiwan claimed by Beijing is mishandled, Chinese state media said.

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

If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation.”

Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Trump that if the Taiwan issue was not handled well, the two countries would clash or even come into conflict, pushing China-US relations into “a very dangerous place”.