Xi tells Trump Taiwan is ‘most important’ issue in China-US ties in phone call
Chinese readout says Xi urged caution on US arms sales to Taiwan as Trump pledged dialogue to keep bilateral relations positive and stable
China’s leader Xi Jinping spoke with US President Donald Trump by phone on Wednesday, just hours after a video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Xi said China must safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and urged Washington to handle arms sales to Taiwan with “extreme caution”.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Trump, for his part, said he valued China’s concerns on Taiwan and was willing to maintain communication with Beijing to keep bilateral ties stable, the readout added.