Feb. 5 (UPI) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump had a lengthy, far-reaching telephone conversation on Wednesday, in which the Asian leader warned his American counterpart that “the Taiwan question” was the most pressing issue in their countries’ relationship.
The self-governing, democratic island has increasingly become a focal point in U.S.-China relations amid growing concerns about an eventual Beijing invasion that have only been amplified since the Trump administration’s military operation last month in Venezuela that removed its authoritarian leader, Nicolas Madura.
Both Xi and Trump confirmed the Wednesday call, with the U.S. leader describing the conversation in a statement on his Truth Social platform as “excellent” and his relations with the Chinese head as “an extremely good one.”
He said they discussed the military, trade, the situation in Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war as well as Beijing considering buying U.S. agricultural products, including soybeans, which have been a sticking point for American farms. According to Trump, Beijing is considering increasing its U.S. soybean imports to 20 million metric tons.
A readout of the call from China’s foreign ministry made no mention of soybeans, but emphasized its claim to Taiwan in direct terms.
According to the ministry, Xi told Trump “the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations.”
“Taiwan is China’s territory. China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity and will never allow Taiwan to be separated,” Xi said, according to the ministry.
Despite Taiwan never having been part of the People’s Republic of China, which was founded in 1949, Beijing claims sovereignty over the island of some 23 million people under its One China policy. China views Taiwan as a rogue province that it has vowed to take by force if necessary.
The United States formally recognizes China’s claim to Taiwan, but maintains informal relations with Taipei, which has grown deeper over the last few years amid the Chinese threat of invasion.
Washington sells weapons to Taiwan. In December, the U.S. Congress approved a massive $11.1 billion arms deal with Taiwan, the largest ever between their two governments.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson sternly rebuked the arms deal in a statement that announced sanctions against 20 American military-related companies and 10 senior executives who have participated in arming Taiwan while warning that “anyone who attempts to cross the line and make provocations on the Taiwan question will be met with China’s firm response.”
The readout of the Xi-Trump call on Wednesday warned that “the U.S. must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence.”
According to Beijing, Trump told Xi that he understands how China feels about Taiwan.
Taiwan was only mentioned by Trump in a list of the “many important subjects” he discussed with Xi.
Trump is to visit Xi in Beijing in April.
Worries about a potential Chinese move against Taiwan have increased in recent weeks following the U.S. military abduction of Maduro, which some have suggested could be used by Beijing to support its claims to Taiwan.
In an interview with The New York Times last month, Trump, pressed on the issue, disregarded the comparison, stating China isn’t experiencing the same threat from Taiwan that the United States faced from Venezuela.
“It’s a source of pride for him. He considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him, what he’s going to be doing. But, you know, I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that. I hope he doesn’t,” he said.
Asked if he set a precedent with the military action in Venezuela, Trump replied: “He may do it after we have a different president, but I don’t think he’s going to do it with me as president.”
