Daijiworld Media Network – Beijing
Beijing, May 14: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push China and the United States towards confrontation or even conflict, describing it as the most important issue in bilateral relations between the two countries.
Xi made the remarks during his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in Beijing as part of Trump’s two-day visit to China.
According to Chinese state media, Xi stressed that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait remains the biggest common interest shared by both nations.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, warning that if not handled properly, it could place the entire relationship between the two global powers in a “highly perilous situation.”
The Chinese President also called for cooperation instead of confrontation between the world’s two largest economies and said China and the United States “should be partners, not rivals.”
Addressing the high-level meeting, Xi said the world was currently witnessing “a transformation not seen in a century” and emphasised the need for stable ties between Beijing and Washington amid growing global uncertainty.
“The whole world is watching our meeting,” Xi said, adding that the international situation had become increasingly fluid and turbulent.
Xi further raised broader questions regarding the future of relations between the two nations, referring to the so-called “Thucydides trap” — a theory suggesting conflict often emerges when a rising power challenges an established one.
He questioned whether China and the United States could avoid such confrontation and instead create a new model of relations between major powers.
“Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations?” Xi asked during the meeting.
He also called for both countries to work together in addressing global challenges and providing greater stability to the world.