Trump-Xi call on US-China trade tensions heightens Taiwanese fears of being marginalised

Politicians said the call between the two leaders, which focused on trade, had ‘made us very anxious’ about the implications for the island

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Donald Trump and Xi Jinping’s call focused on trade, but the Chinese leader warned of Beijing’s red lines on Taiwan. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:00pm, 6 Jun 2025

Taiwanese politicians have voiced concerns that the island risks being further sidelined following the recent phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

The call focused on easing trade tensions, but Xi also said that the US “must handle the Taiwan question with prudence” and make sure “fringe separatists” did not drag China and the US into “confrontation or even conflict”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

While Trump posted on social media that his 90-minute conversation with Xi “focused almost entirely on TRADE”, Xinhua quoted him as saying the US “will honour the one-China policy”.

The call reinforced the sense of growing scepticism in Taiwan towards the US as a result of Trump’s comments on defence, semiconductors and the tariffs he imposed on the island.

“Mainland China’s usual practice is they only make a phone call when a certain consensus can be reached,” Cheng Chao-hsin, the deputy mayor of Taichung city told local media.

“This makes us very anxious about Taiwan’s trade negotiations, as we now find that both Japan and the mainland are ahead of us.”

Trump-Xi call on US-China trade tensions heightens Taiwanese fears of being marginalised

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Politicians said the call between the two leaders, which focused on trade, had ‘made us very anxious’ about the implications for the island

Politicians said the call between the two leaders, which focused on trade, had ‘made us very anxious’ about the implications for the island