Chinese President Xi Jinping warns US President Donald Trump that differences over Taiwan could lead to conflict, in remarks that feature prominently during the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting in nearly a decade. Xi delivers the warning during talks held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, after an elaborate welcome ceremony that includes honor guards, a formal procession, and crowds of children waving flags.
Multiple accounts describe the meeting as largely cordial at the start, but Xi’s comments on Taiwan shift the tone as China publicly underscores its position while negotiations are still under way. The readouts released by China emphasize that mismanagement of the Taiwan issue could trigger clashes or a potential conflict.
The leaders spend about two hours to roughly two and a half hours in discussion behind closed doors, according to the reports. The focus on Taiwan comes against the backdrop of Trump’s first trip to China as a sitting US president in nearly ten years, according to the outlets covering the event.
