‘China-US should be partners, not rivals’

US President Donald Trump on Thursday (14 May) called Chinese leader Xi Jinping his friend and said they had held extremely positive and constructive discussions.Speaking at the state banquet, he described the US-China relationship as one of the most consequential in world history and invited Xi to visit the United States on 24 September.

Trump invites Xi to White House on 24 Sep
Earlier at the banquet, Xi said China and the US should be partners, not rivals.

He said the two leaders had held in-depth discussions and that “the rejuvenation of China” and “Make America Great Again” could go hand in hand.

Xi added that both he and Trump believe China-US ties are the most important bilateral relationship in the world and that they “must make it work and never mess it up.

During the meeting on Thursday, Xi reportedly warned Trump that the issue of Taiwan – which China regards as its own territory – could lead to conflict between Washington and Beijing if it is not handled carefully.

However, Taiwan was not mentioned in a joint statement following the meeting, and Trump notably ignored a question from reporters about his stance on Taiwan.
This is a tricky issue for the US.

While the US government officially acknowledges that China views Taiwan as part of its territory, it does not explicitly state whether or not it agrees with that stance.

The US formally severed official diplomatic ties with Taiwan – also known as the Republic of China – decades ago, but remains committed under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to supporting the defence of the self-governing democracy.

That law has enabled Washington to supply Taiwan with billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and to deepen cooperation in areas such as military training and intelligence sharing, moves Beijing regards as meddling in its internal affairs.

Xi has told Trump that the “Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning posted on X on Thursday.

“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability.

Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,” she wrote.

Taiwan independence and peace in the Taiwan Strait are as “irreconcilable as fire and water”, Xi said.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that China is “currently the sole risk to regional peace and stability”, after Xi warned Trump.

“Beijing has no right to make any claims on behalf of Taiwan internationally,” the statement added.

The US-Israel war on Iran, which entered its 76th day on Thursday, also came up in the meeting between Trump and Xi on Thursday.

In their joint statement, Trump and Xi agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and Iran should never have nuclear weapons.

US officials have previously said that they might need China’s help in convincing Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

But analysts say Beijing will want concessions from the US, likely regarding Taiwan, in exchange for any aid in resolving the crisis.