Xi Warns Trump of Possible ‘Clashes’ If Taiwan Issue Mishandled

Xi Jinping pressed Donald Trump on the issue of Taiwan and warned of a potential conflict if mismanaged, in blunt remarks that punctured an otherwise cordial start to the first visit to China by a sitting US president in nearly a decade.

“If mishandled, the two nations will experience collision or even clashes, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly dangerous situation,” Xi said in their first meeting on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People. China’s readout of Xi’s remarks on Taiwan appeared to come before his meeting with Trump had wrapped, thrusting the issue of the self-ruled island into the spotlight.