&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Beijing fires sharp warning at US over Taiwan before pivotal Trump-Xi summit")
China has issued a blunt warning to Washington over Taiwan just days before US President Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping in Beijing, underlining how the self-ruled island has again become the most volatile point in US-China relations. The summit, scheduled for May 14-15, is expected to cover trade, artificial intelligence, Iran and rare earth exports, but Taiwan is already dominating the diplomatic atmosphere ahead of the talks.
China on Wednesday renewed its strong opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan, urging Washington to uphold its commitments ahead of Trump’s summit visit to Beijing. Zhang Han, a spokesperson for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office told Reuters that China’s determination to oppose independence was ‘as firm as a rock’ and described its ability to ‘crush’ separatism as ‘unbreakable’. The remarks came after Trump confirmed he would discuss American arms sales to Taiwan directly with Xi during the summit.
Record arms deals deepen the stand-off
The tensions stem largely from Trump’s approval last December of an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, the largest weapons sale ever authorised for the island. Reuters reported that another package worth around $14 billion may also be under consideration later this year. Beijing views such deals as interference in what it considers an internal matter.
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"We firmly oppose the United States engaging in any form of military ties with China's Taiwan region, and firmly oppose the United States selling weapons to China's Taiwan region. This position is consistent and unequivocal," Zhang Han said in Beijing.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory despite the island having its own democratic government, military and constitution. While Beijing says it prefers ‘peaceful reunification’, it has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force. Taiwan, meanwhile, continues to reject China’s sovereignty claims. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te recently thanked the United States for helping strengthen the island’s defences and reiterated that Taiwan would not yield to external pressure. China has labelled Lai a separatist and increased military activity around the island in recent months.
Fears grow over what could be discussed behind closed doors
Taipei is watching the Beijing summit closely amid concerns that Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy could lead to compromises over Taiwan in exchange for Chinese cooperation on trade or economic issues. Taiwan intelligence chief Tsai Ming-yen recently warned that Beijing may attempt ‘manoeuvring’ on the Taiwan issue during the summit.
According to the news agency, former Pentagon spokesman John Kirby cautioned that US officials must be “extraordinarily precise” when discussing Taiwan because “the stakes are enormously high”. Any shift in American policy would carry major consequences not only for Asian security but also for global trade and semiconductor supply chains centred around Taiwan. Long calibrated to support Taiwan without provoking Beijing, the policy is expected to face renewed scrutiny during Trump’s China visit. Past remarks by US officials have occasionally triggered diplomatic tensions requiring swift clarification.
