Xi presses Trump to take the next step on Taiwan: oppose independence
Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed his US counterpart Donald Trump to explicitly oppose Taiwan independence – a call that would require a shift in Washington’s long-standing position and further restraint on American arms sales to the island, according to analysts. During the meeting between the two leaders on Thursday, Xi said he hoped the US side would “adhere to the correct position of…
During a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, Xi urged the American leader to explicitly oppose Taiwan independence, according to a statement from Beijing's foreign ministry. This call would require a shift in Washington's traditional position of "not supporting" Taiwan independence and could lead to more restrictive arms sales to the island.
The wording marks Beijing's push for a tougher political stance against Taiwan independence, going beyond the US's usual formulation. Analysts suggest that Beijing's demand for Washington to oppose Taiwan independence has become more pressing as Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has pursued a more provocative "two-state theory."
The foreign ministry statement did not explicitly mention US arms sales to Taiwan, but experts say the issue remains a key point of contention in Taiwan affairs. Xi previously warned Trump about the risk of conflict over Taiwan at their May summit in Beijing, stating that mishandling the issue could lead to clashes between China and the US.
While the US is unlikely to explicitly state opposition to Taiwan independence, experts suggest it may still warn Taipei against taking risky actions and urging it not to provoke tensions.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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