By Nectar Gan and Jessie Jiang

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 inaugural White House summit on Thursday, Xi urged the US leader to “adhere to the correct position of opposing Taiwan independence,” according to the official Xinhua News Agency. That wording is stronger than the Biden administration’s previous statement that US officials “do not support” the island seeking formal independence.   

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 this 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 any switch in language from Trump to undermine Taiwan’s confidence in US support, she added. 

Trump has already delayed a planned $14 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.  

Taiwan Spotlight

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 Thursday, 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’d 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 Thursday. 

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 at the leaders’ summit 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.”