Beijing, May 14: Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump that not handling the Taiwan issue properly could trigger “clashes and even conflicts” between the two countries, as the leaders held wide-ranging talks on the Iran war, energy security and trade on Thursday.
After concluding the first round of talks in Beijing, which lasted for around two hours, Trump invited Xi and his wife to the White House on September 24, even as both leaders were in agreement that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened to support global energy needs, the White House said in a statement.
China and the US have agreed on a “new vision” for building constructive bilateral ties, Xi said. “I have agreed with President Trump on a new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability.”
Xi said the “new vision” would provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations over the next three years and beyond, and should be welcomed by the people of both countries as well as the international community, official media reported.
He, however, stressed that the Taiwan question remained the most important issue in China-US relations.
If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship “will enjoy overall stability”, Xi said. Otherwise, the two countries could face “clashes and even conflicts”, putting bilateral ties in great jeopardy, the leader was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
The Chinese president urged the US to exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan issue.
In response to Xi’s comments, Taiwan was quoted by the AP news agency saying: “China is currently the only risk to regional peace and stability.”
China regards self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province that must eventually be reunified with the mainland. It opposes formal diplomatic ties between Taipei and countries that recognise Beijing.
Since establishing diplomatic relations with modern China in 1979, the US has maintained unofficial ties with Taiwan and continued supplying arms to the island while formally acknowledging Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China without explicitly endorsing it.
According to a White House statement, Trump and Xi discussed expanding economic cooperation, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The two sides also discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation, including expanding market access for American businesses in China and increasing Chinese investment in US industries, it said.
Leaders from several major American companies joined a portion of the meeting, according to the White House.
The leaders also highlighted the need to build on progress in ending the flow of fentanyl precursors into the US, while increasing Chinese purchases of American agricultural products, it said.
The fentanyl issue has remained a major source of friction between Washington and Beijing, with the Trump administration repeatedly pressing China to curb exports of precursor chemicals used by criminal groups to manufacture the synthetic opioid.
Agricultural exports, particularly soybeans and corn, have meanwhile been a key element of past trade deals between the two countries
“The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” the White House said, adding that Xi “made clear China’s opposition to the militarisation of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use”.
According to the White House statement, Xi also “expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future”.
China has not imported US oil since May 2025 after imposing 20% tariffs during the trade war, with analysts saying any large-scale resumption of purchases would likely require the duties to be lifted. Even at its peak, the US was never a major crude supplier to China, which is the world’s largest oil importer.
“Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” the White House said.
The Strait of Hormuz – which is a major transit route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies – and Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain the two main sticking points in the ongoing peace talks between Iran and the US.
Meanwhile, in an interview with NBC News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had raised the Iran issue during talks with Xi but had not sought Beijing’s assistance. “We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help.”
Rubio said China agreed that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons and had also conveyed its opposition to the militarisation of the Strait of Hormuz and any tolling system for ships using the route. (PTI)
