China’s Xi presses Trump to ‘oppose’ Taiwan independence in stark call

• Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged Donald Trump to formally oppose Taiwan independence, marking a stronger stance than previous US statements and signalling Beijing's red line on Taiwan.
• Xi's call aims to pressure the US to change its policy amid China's shift to diplomatic isolation and reduced military aggression against Taiwan.
• The US-Taiwan relationship remains sensitive, with concerns that Washington's position could become a bargaining chip in US-China ties, especially after Trump's delay of a major arms deal for Taiwan.

WASHINGTON - Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged the US to formally “oppose” Taiwan independence, marking his most explicit call for Donald Trump to change his stance on the self-ruled island.

During their first White House summit on Sept 24, Xi declared the US should “adhere to the correct position of opposing Taiwan independence”, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. 

Chinese state media released Xi’s remarks on Taiwan before its full readout of meeting that lasted under two hours, throwing a spotlight on Beijing’s brightest red line issue. The ruling Communist Party views the global chip hub as its own territory, despite having never controlled it. 

Xi’s suggested wording is stronger than the Biden administration’s previous statement that US officials “do not support” the self-ruled island seeking formal independence, and would add to China’s campaign to isolate Taiwan on the world stage.

“While it 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 the switch to undermine Taiwan’s confidence in US support, she added. “Opposing ‘Taiwan independence’ implies an active effort to contain what Beijing sees as pro-independence forces,” Welch said.  

Any change in wording would fan concerns that Washington’s position on the self-ruled democracy is becoming a bargaining chip in US-China ties. Trump has already delayed a planned US$14 billion (S$18 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.

Xi’s latest push for Trump comes as Beijing is shifting tactics in its campaign to pressure Taiwan, dialing down provocative displays of military aggression while ramping up diplomatic isolation. That’s including by pressuring countries to prevent President Lai Ching-te from travelling through their airspace.

Language defining the US relationship with Taiwan has long been a sensitive subject. China had asked the Trump administration to officially declare that it “opposes” Taiwan independence in 2025, a person familiar with the matter said at the time. 

US-Taiwan relations have been dictated since 1982 by President Ronald Reagan’s “six assurances”, which take a deliberately vague stance toward the island’s sovereignty but explicitly state the US would not consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan and would not revise the Taiwan Relations Act, which requires Washington to provide the island with defensive arms.

Trump’s comments on Taiwan have marked a departure from Biden, who claimed he would 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 Sept 24.

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 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.” BLOOMBERG