China’s Xi presses Trump to ‘oppose’ Taiwan independence in stark call

During their first White House summit on Sept 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the US should “adhere to the correct position of opposing Taiwan independence”.

WASHINGTON - Chinese leader Xi Jinping pressed the US to outright “oppose” Taiwan independence, marking his first public call for Donald Trump to change Washington’s decades-old stance on the self-ruled island. 

During their first White House summit on Sept 24, Xi declared the US should “adhere to the correct position of opposing Taiwan independence”, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. 

Washington has long maintained it “doesn’t support” the independence of Taiwan, the island Beijing claims as its own. 

Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has made bringing Taiwan under China’s control a key goal and vowed to achieve it someday, by force if necessary. As the Chinese leader heads towards an expected fourth term in office, he’s ramping up diplomatic pressure to isolate the democratic chip hub and block future weapons sales from Washington. 

The US still hasn’t released a readout from the meeting, which lasted less than two hours, meaning it isn’t clear how Trump responded to Xi’s request. China privately asked the Trump administration to declare it “opposes” Taiwan independence back in 2025, a person familiar with the matter said at the time. 

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.

“While it may appear a semantic shift, the impact would be meaningful,” said Bloomberg Economics’ Jennifer Welch, who served as director for China and Taiwan on the National Security Council under the previous Biden and Trump administrations. 

China would use the switch to undermine Taiwan’s confidence in US support, she added. “Opposing ‘Taiwan independence’ implies an active effort to contain what Beijing sees as pro-independence forces,” Welch said.  

Any change in wording would fan concerns that Washington’s position on the self-ruled democracy is becoming a bargaining chip in US-China ties.

Trump has already delayed a planned US$14 billion (S$18 billion) arms package for Taiwan for months. After his last meeting with Xi in Beijing, Trump described that deal as “a very good negotiating chip” for the US – remarks that rattled Taipei.

Any change in wording would fan concerns that Washington’s position on the democracy of 23 million people is becoming a bargaining chip in US-China ties. 

Xi has rarely made such an explicit call to an American leader. The last time came in November 2024, when he told outgoing President Joe Biden if the US wanted peace it should “oppose Taiwan independence”, during their final face-to-face.

Chinese state media released Xi’s remarks on Taiwan hours before its full readout on Sept 24, throwing a spotlight on Beijing’s top red line issue. That followed a similar pattern to the last Trump-Xi summit in May, when China warned mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to “clashes ” between the superpowers in a statement issued while talks were ongoing.

Xi entered his first state visit to America in 11 years emboldened after last year exposing US reliance on China’s rare earths, a move that enabled Beijing to push back against Trump’s triple-digit tariffs. Those minerals are critical for making everything from missiles to mobile phones and have been key in keeping a lid on further US export controls. 

Trump has given Xi an unprecedented welcome, becoming the first US president to greet a Chinese counterpart on the tarmac. Tonight, the Republic leader will host only his second state dinner of this term for Xi – one of America’s biggest economic and military rivals.

In a boon to Beijing, Trump’s comments on Taiwan have marked a departure from Biden, who claimed he would defend the island from any invasion by China. The Republican leader has urged officials in Taipei to step up their ability to defend themselves.

Handling the Taiwan question with prudence will “lay a solid foundation for strategic cooperation between China and the US,” Xi said on Sept 24.

Ryan Hass, director of the China Center at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Xi was trying to link the concept of “constructive strategic stability” to opposing Taiwan independence. That slogan was unveiled by Chinese officials in May to define a new era in ties.

“The key acid test will be what Trump says on Taiwan,” Hass added. “Not just what Xi urges Trump to endorse.” BLOOMBERG