China's Xi Jinping cautions Trump about US-Taiwan arms deal; Taipei says 'we don't worry too much'

In a telephonic conversation with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon (Feb 4), Chinese President Xi Jinping, seemingly warned the US to handle arms sales to Taiwan "with prudence," while Trump confirmed visit Beijing in April 2026. On trade, the two sides talked about China’s commitment to purchasing US soybeans, oil, and gas, as well as the delivery of heavy machinery like airplane engines. Meanwhile, Taiwan said that they do not worry about the conversation, adding that it will help to ‘stabilise the situation.’ The call came after Jinping spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on a video call.

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What Xi said in the phone call with Trump

In the phone call, the Chinese premier primarily termed the "Taiwan issue" as the "most important issue" in US.-China relations. Sharing his stance on $11 billion US arms package to Taiwan, Xi Jinping said that America should handle it with "utmost caution" and “prudence." He also clarified that China will "never allow Taiwan to be separated" and must safeguard its territorial integrity. While Xi called for both sides to move toward "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation" throughout 2026, he noted that the US-China relationship will flourish only if both sides tackle issues “one by one” and avoiding even “minor wrongdoings.” The Chinese premeir also expressed hope that trade challenges could be resolved in a “constructive and amicable manner.” The Chinese readout highlighted his commitment to enhancing dialogue and "strengthening bilateral cooperation" ahead of major upcoming summits.

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What Trump said about the phone call?

Taking to Truth Social, Trump called the conversation an “excellent” one. He said that the call was “long and thorough.” Apart from Taiwan, Trump said that they discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine and the current situation with Iran. Highlighting his personal rapo with Jinping, Trump said, “The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realize how important it is to keep it that way. He also expressed confidence that the relationship between US and China will improve in the remaining three years of his presidency. "I believe that there will be many positive results achieved over the next three years of my Presidency having to do with President Xi, and the People’s Republic of China,” Trump added in his post.

How Taiwan reacted?

Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told AFP that "we don't worry too much about this whole telephone communication".

“In fact, we believe that it will contribute to stabilise the situation.” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told reporters that Washington and Taipei maintain close communication at all times. Lai claimed that Trump reiterated the US' long-held stance on Taiwan, based on the TRA and the Six Assurances, during his latest call with Xi. "Taiwan-U.S. relations are rock-solid, and all ongoing cooperation projects are continuing," Lai told reporters. Despite the call, a White House official was quoted by CNA saying that the US policy regarding Taiwan has not changed.