海角大神

Chinese leader Xi Jinping gave U.S. President Donald Trump an ultimatum of sorts when they met in Beijing Thursday to begin a two-day, high-profile summit.

In talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing鈥檚 Tiananmen Square, Mr. Xi held out the prospect of a new, 鈥渃onstructive鈥� U.S.-China relationship with stronger economic and trade ties 鈥� as well as more talks between diplomats and military chiefs.

But Mr. Xi also issued a strong warning to Mr. Trump. Sound U.S.-China relations, he said, depend above all upon how the two sides handle one vital issue: Taiwan.

鈥淭he U.S. must handle the Taiwan issue with the utmost caution,鈥� Mr. Xi told Mr. Trump, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. If handled well, the relations will remain stable. If not, it could lead to conflict and 鈥渁 very dangerous situation,鈥� he said.

Beijing asserts sovereignty over Taiwan 鈥� a self-governing, democratic island of 23 million people off China鈥檚 southern coast 鈥� and has threatened to use force to claim it. The U.S. is Taiwan鈥檚 main ally, and sells the island defensive weapons aimed at preserving peace across the Taiwan Strait.

Mr. Trump, so far, has remained mute on Taiwan and other sensitive issues in his public remarks in China. He has declined, uncharacteristically, to take questions from reporters since arriving in Beijing, nor did he speak with journalists aboard Air Force One on his flight to China.

Instead, Mr. Trump has highlighted what he calls his long, personal friendship with Mr. Xi, calling him 鈥渁 great leader鈥� and praising their ability to work out problems quickly. Mr. Trump has also stressed expanding trade and access to China鈥檚 market, showcasing the dozens of top American CEOs 鈥� from Tesla鈥檚 Elon Musk, to Apple鈥檚 Tim Cook, and Nvidia鈥檚 Jensen Huang 鈥� who have joined him and key cabinet members on the China trip.

A White House statement on X said the leaders discussed 鈥渆xpanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment.鈥� During the meeting, Mr. Xi pledged that 鈥淐hina will only open its door wider鈥� to foreign companies, according to Xinhua.

While the two sides have, so far, released few details from today鈥檚 talks, the overall tone has been positive.

At a lavish state banquet Thursday night, Mr. Xi said the U.S. and China should be 鈥減artners rather than rivals.鈥� Offering a toast, Mr. Trump announced that he had invited Mr. Xi and his wife to visit Washington in September.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have a fantastic future together,鈥� Mr. Trump said.

The two leaders will hold one-on-one talks Friday, followed by a luncheon, before Mr. Trump departs in the afternoon.