{"id":49293,"date":"2026-05-14T23:05:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/05\/14\/china-fires-verbal-warning-shot-at-us-over-taiwan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:17:09","slug":"china-fires-verbal-warning-shot-at-us-over-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/asia-pacific\/2026\/05\/14\/china-fires-verbal-warning-shot-at-us-over-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"China fires verbal warning shot at US over Taiwan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a blunt threat to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying that any misstep over Taiwan could push the two economic superpowers toward direct confrontation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,\u201d Xi told Trump during a summit in Beijing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmprc.gov.cn\/eng\/xw\/zyxw\/202605\/t20260514_11910330.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.fmprc.gov.cn\/eng\/xw\/zyxw\/202605\/t20260514_11910330.html\">according to a Chinese government readout.<\/a> \u201cIf it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For decades, Washington\u2019s ties with Taipei have been among one of the most combustible flashpoints in U.S.-China relations. The Chinese Communist Party regards the island as a wayward province destined for reunification. Xi has instructed the People\u2019s Liberation Army to be prepared to invade by 2027. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the 1970s, successive American administrations have adhered to a policy known as \u201cstrategic ambiguity,\u201d deliberately maintaining uncertainty over whether the U.S. would come to Taiwan\u2019s defense in the event of a Chinese attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">George Chen, partner for the Greater China practice at the Asia Group, said in an interview with Military Times that Xi\u2019s message to Trump should not be seen as an escalation, but rather an effort to establish boundaries from the outset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Xi\u2019s opening remarks, right in front of President Trump, puts a huge emphasis on Taiwan because Xi wants to make it crystal clear that he has zero tolerance for any moves toward Taiwan independence,\u201d Chen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s clear that Xi is not interested in taking the military path for Taiwan issues \u2014 at least not yet,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd he hopes Washington will align with him to avoid bringing military forces into the Taiwan issues, which could only destabilize Northeast Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The State Department recently stalled a proposed $14 billion arms package for Taiwan, a move that Trump said he would underscore with Xi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Xi would like us not to. And I\u2019ll have that discussion,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday ahead of the planned trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. officials, however, have highlighted last year\u2019s largest-ever arms sale to Taiwan, valued at approximately $11 billion, as a sign of Washington\u2019s commitment to Taiwan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The war in Iran previously forced a postponement of the high-stakes summit in Beijing, which had originally been scheduled for six weeks ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump and Xi met in the Chinese capital on Friday for a welcome ceremony steeped in pageantry, featuring a 21-gun salute and crowds of children waving U.S. and Chinese flags, followed by bilateral talks, a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the trip unfolds against a continued air of crisis and uncertainty around Iran. The fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran teeters on collapse, while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/2054859596938785204?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/2054859596938785204?s=20\">According to a White House readout,<\/a> Trump and Xi concurred Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and the Strait of Hormuz needs to reopen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,\u201d the White House said. \u201cPresident Xi also made clear China\u2019s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a subsequent interview with Fox News, Trump said that Xi had signaled interest in facilitating the reopening of the strait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Xi would like to see a deal made,\u201d Trump asserted. \u201cAnybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some sort of relationship with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president also claimed Xi had assured him China would not supply military equipment to Iran, calling it \u201ca big statement.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Any misstep over Taiwan could push the U.S. and China toward direct confrontation, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":112008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":45,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[45,11,19],"tags":[8590,8592,8593],"coauthors":[3488],"class_list":["post-49293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific","category-global","category-pentagon","tag-asia","tag-china","tag-taiwan"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"I4EYBHB645F6PLYWSMK36MD2SU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/05\/14\/china-fires-verbal-warning-shot-at-us-over-taiwan\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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