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

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

The two leaders spoke for nearly two-and-a-half hours at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, after a welcome ceremony in central Beijing that included honor guards, a formal procession and dozens of children waving flags and cheering enthusiastically. While that meeting was still underway, China released a readout of Xi’s remarks that thrust self-ruled Taiwan into the spotlight.