HONG KONG (AP) 鈥� China on Thursday stepped up its tough stance on , an island democracy it deems its territory, that Beijing and Washington will 鈥渉ave clashes and even conflicts鈥� if the issue is not handled properly.
China鈥檚 President Xi Jinping stressed during his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump that the 鈥� 鈥� is the most important issue in ties between Beijing and Washington, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.
“鈥楾aiwan independence鈥� and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water,鈥� Xi told Trump, according to the statement.
Xi鈥檚 stern tone reflected China鈥檚 growing , Taiwan鈥檚 largest unofficial ally. The U.S. is required by law to ensure Taiwan can defend itself but officially maintains a position of what has been called strategic ambiguity 鈥� leaving the question of whether it would get involved militarily if China decided to reclaim Taiwan by force.
鈥淚f 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,鈥� Xi said, according to the ministry.
Beijing has already ramped up a campaign over the past few years to Taiwan鈥檚 diplomatic allies and on the island.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that U.S. policy toward Taiwan was 鈥渦nchanged鈥� but warned that it would be 鈥渁 terrible mistake鈥� for China to take Taiwan by force.
鈥淯.S. policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged as of today,” he said in an interview with NBC News.
Xi wants China to be unified with Taiwan
China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when the Communist Party rose to power in Beijing following a civil war. Defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, which later transitioned from martial law to multiparty democracy.
China sees self-ruled Taiwan as its own breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary.
Relations between Beijing and Taipei have been tense since Taiwan first elected Tsai Ing-wen as president in 2016. Her Democratic Progressive Party says Taiwan is functionally independent and its own sovereign state. China cut off most of its official dialogue with Taiwan鈥檚 government. In recent years, Beijing has sent warships and fighter jets closer toward the island on a nearly daily basis.
The Chinese leader previously said China would with Taiwan, an island of about 23 million people.
Beyond politics, Taiwan is a major manufacturer of AI servers, computer chips and precision instruments. The AI boom has 鈥檚 leading technology companies to record profits and revenues.
Rhetoric on Taiwan reflects Chinese worries
Analysts say Xi鈥檚 comments reflect China鈥檚 anxieties over a defense relationship that has grown closer between Taiwan and the U.S.
鈥淚f China had secured any meaningful concession on Taiwan from Trump, it would have been reflected鈥� in Beijing鈥檚 official readout of the leaders鈥� meeting, said William Yang, a senior analyst for Northeast Asia for International Crisis Group.
鈥淭he lack of such mention and the relatively stern tone suggest Trump may not have budged on Taiwan in principle,鈥� he said.
In December, Trump鈥檚 team announced an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan, the largest ever. Trump has also demanded that Taiwan increase defense spending.
Ma Chun-wei, an expert in China-Taiwan relations at Taiwan鈥檚 Tamkang University, said China could also be worried the Trump administration has veered away from standard diplomatic language on Taiwan. The U.S. position has long been to acknowledge China鈥檚 position on Taiwan but maintain unofficial relations with the island.
The latest version of the from the Trump administration issued last December simply reads: 鈥淲e will also maintain our longstanding declaratory policy on Taiwan, meaning that the United States does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.鈥�
The U.S. usually has on its relationship with Taiwan.
鈥淔or Xi Jinping, he must show that the Taiwan issue is in China鈥檚 hands. He must demonstrate this image, or else he would be criticized,鈥� Ma said. ___
Wu reported from Bangkok. AP writer Simina Mistreanu in Bangkok and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.
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