The CCP leader stated that the two countries risked ‘clashes and even conflicts’ if the Taiwan issue is not handled carefully.
The summit in Beijing on May 14 between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping concluded its first day with a notable flashpoint: Taiwan and U.S. arms sales to the island.
According to a statement released by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi warned Trump that the two countries risked “clashes and even conflicts” if the Taiwan issue was not handled carefully.
“The U.S. side must exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question,” the statement reads.
“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.”
The White House released a brief readout of the meeting between Trump and Xi. Unlike Beijing’s announcement, it made no mention of Taiwan, instead focusing extensively on the Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz, and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Taiwan remains one of the most sensitive issues between Washington and Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims the democratically governed island as its territory, while Taiwan rejects this and maintains its own government. The United States officially maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan but continues to provide the island with defensive arms, a practice Beijing strongly opposes.
In December 2025, Washington approved an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, the largest weapons package ever proposed for the island and the second deal under the current Trump administration, following a $330 million arms sale in November 2025 for spare and repair parts for Taiwan’s aircraft fleet.
The latest package covers a wide range of items, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, self-propelled howitzers, two different Altius loitering munition drones, Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-armor missiles, AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts, and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles.
On May 8, Taiwan’s opposition-dominated parliament approved a $25 billion special defense budget, mainly to buy U.S. weapons, well below the $40 billion sought by the Taiwanese government.
By Emel Akan
