China warns Trump over Taiwan question at high-stakes summit
What you need to know
- Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump held private talks for about two hours at the Great Hall of the People.
- Trump and Xi sat across from each other inside the hall and Xi said at the start of the summit that he hoped both countries could be 'partners, not rivals.'
- Chinese state media reported that Xi described Taiwan as the most important issue in bilateral relations and that there could be conflict if the issue was mishandled.
- Trump said "great" when reporters asked how the talks with Xi went, but declined to answer questions about Taiwan.
- Chinese readout of the meeting said the pair discussed Taiwan, Ukraine, Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.
Welcome to DW's coverage of the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing from May 13-15.
Skip next section What to know if you're joining us now05/14/2026May 14, 2026What to know if you're joining us now
China's Xi Jinping welcomed President Donald Trump with the same kind of pomp at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square as he did in 2017.
Trump shook hands with top Chinese officials, as did Xi with top American officials.
The leaders of the two superpowers then went back inside the Great Hall for bilateral talks behind closed doors.
A Chinese readout of the discussions said the pair discussed a range of thorny issues, including the Taiwan question and the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.
Trump is accompanied by his son, Eric, and a host of business leaders, including Apple's Tim Cook, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Tesla's Elon Musk.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DkObSkip next section Trump concludes tour of Beijing's Temple of Heaven05/14/2026May 14, 2026Trump concludes tour of Beijing's Temple of Heaven
Donald Trump has posed for photos with Xi Jinping at Beijing's Temple of Heaven during a high-profile meeting.
Trump did not speak publicly as the two leaders appeared together following their arrival at the historic site, after a pomp-filled red carpet ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.
The World Heritage site is the spot where China's emperors once prayed for good harvests.
Trump and Xi were expected to return to the Great Hall of the People for an evening state banquet.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Dk7gSkip next section Trump-XI meeting ends05/14/2026May 14, 2026Trump-XI meeting ends
The meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ended, according to a White House pool report. It lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Dk1USkip next section Xi tells Trump US, China could 'come into conflict' if Taiwan issue mishandled: state media05/14/2026May 14, 2026
Xi tells Trump US, China could 'come into conflict' if Taiwan issue mishandled: state media
China's President Xi Jinping has told Donald Trump that their countries could come into conflict if the issue over Taiwan is mishandled, Chinese state media said.
"The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations," Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
"If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation."
China also restated on Wednesday its opposition to a recent US weapons deal with Taiwan.
China claims self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory and says it must be "reunified" with the mainland.
It has intensified military activities and drills around Taiwan in recent years, most recently in December 2025 when China stimulated a blockade of Taiwan's ports.
Over time, China's rhetoric has changed from preventing Taiwan's independence to actively promoting unification.
For its part, the US continues to support Taiwan politically and militarily.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DjtsSkip next section Musk shouts 'wonderful' to reporters as US CEOs leave Great Hall of the People05/14/2026May 14, 2026Musk shouts 'wonderful' to reporters as US CEOs leave Great Hall of the People
Roshni Majumdar EditorSighted leaving the Great Hall of the People as Trump was arriving were leaders of US businesses, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tesla founder Elon Musk and Jensen Huang from tech giant Nvidia.
When asked how meetings were going, Musk said "wonderful," while Cook gave a thumbs up and Huang said, "the meetings went well."
They then left on a waiting bus.
Also seen attending the welcome ceremony were Secretary of State Marco Rubioand Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Zheng Shanjie, head of the economic planning agency, were among the Chinese representatives present.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun were later visible in video footage as the Trump and Xi delegations started their meeting.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DjscSkip next section US and China should be 'partners not rivals' — Xi05/14/2026May 14, 2026US and China should be 'partners not rivals' — Xi
Before heading into their meeting on Thursday morning, Xi told Trump that their two countries should be "partners not rivals."
"A stable China-US relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals," Xi said.
Xi added he was "happy" to receive Trump for the US leader's first trip to China since 2017 as "the world has arrived at a new crossroads."
For his part, Trump told Xi, "We're going to have a fantastic future together."
Xi greets Trump in welcome ceremony at Great Hall of the People
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has greeted US President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People.
The building is a hub for legislative action by the communist government and a center for key cultural and social events on the Western side of Tiananmen Square.
The pair shook hands and chatted, with Trump patting Xi on the arm before they posed for pictures on the red carpet.
A brass band played the national anthems before the leaders strolled past rows of military honor guard and children waving flowers and US and Chinese flags, with Trump occasionally patting Xi on the back.
The children chanted "welcome, welcome, welcome to China" in Mandarin.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Djm1Skip next section What events are planned during Trump's China visit?05/14/2026May 14, 2026What events are planned during Trump's China visit?
China's President Xi Jinping will officially welcome US President Donald Trump on Thursday during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, followed by bilateral talks.
Then there's some cultural programming, such as a visit to the Temple of Heaven, before a state banquet at the end of day.
Trump's trip is expected to be long on pageantry and symbolism.
But neither side has offered any major concrete details on what is expected from the talks.
The top topics for discussion are expected to be the Iran war, trade between the two nations, technology and US weapons' sales to Taiwan.
Trump is expected to leave just after midday Friday after a final private meeting with Xi.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DjlzSkip next section Trump is expected to ask for China's help to resolve the war in Iran05/14/2026May 14, 2026Trump is expected to ask for China's help to resolve the war in Iran
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the United States hoped to convince China "to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they're doing now."
Rubio made the comment to Fox News from aboard Air Force One as he flew with Trump to Beijing.
The Iran war is a "huge source of instability" and "threatens to destabilise Asia more than any other part of the world because it's heavily reliant on the straits for energy," he said, refering to the Strait of Hormuz which is effectively blocked to most international shipping.
"It's in [China's] interest to resolve this," he said.
China maintains ties with Iran and remains a major consumer of Iran's oil exports.
Trump has been leaning on China to use its influence to push Iran to make a deal with the US.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DjlySkip next section Welcome back to our coverage05/14/2026May 14, 2026Welcome back to our coverage
Kate Hairsine | Sean Sinico EditorUS President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a highly anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday.
For background on the hot topics influencing the relationship between China and the United States, take a look at our US-China blog from Wednesday May 13.
And we'll bring you the latest developments and analysis from the Trump-Xi summit as events unfold.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DjlxSkip next section WATCH: War with Iran casts shadow over Trump's visit to China 05/13/2026May 13, 2026WATCH: War with Iran casts shadow over Trump's visit to China
Jason MurtaghWar with Iran casts shadow over Trump's visit to China
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https://p.dw.com/p/5Dj1gSkip next section Ukraine's Zelenskyy asks Trump to discuss war with Xi05/13/2026May 13, 2026Ukraine's Zelenskyy asks Trump to discuss war with Xi
Wesley Dockery EditorUkraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Wednesday he hopes Donald Trump will discuss ways to end Russia's war on Ukraine when the US president meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
"We are in constant contact with our American partners," Zelenskyy told a summit in Romania.
"We are thankful, and we are expecting that the issue of ending of the Russian war against Ukraine will be raised now as well, while the president of the United States is in China," he added.
China is a close partner of Russia, and has maintained a neutral stance on Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"The mutual trust between China and Russia grows ever deeper, with pragmatic cooperation forging an unbreakable bond," Xi said when visiting Moscow in May 2025
In data reported in 2025, China was Russia's top economic partner, with bilateral trade soaring to $244 billion (€216 billion) in 2024. In February 2022, the two countries signed a "no limits" economic, military, and diplomatic partnership to counter Western influence.
The US has in the past accused China of providing material support for Russia by providing parts for weapons production, and economic support by buying Russian oil.
China and Russia: A partnership of equals?
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DigMSkip next section Trump arrives in Beijing 05/13/2026May 13, 2026Trump arrives in Beijing
US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing late Wednesday evening local time and was greeted by a military honor guard and Chinese dignitaries including Vice President Han Zheng.
As Trump disembarked from Air Force One onto a red carpet, Chinese students waved US and Chinese flags and chanted "welcome" in Mandarin.
Trump paused and raised his fist in the air, before departing in a limousine.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DhcGSkip next section WATCH: 3 key issues to watch out for ahead of Trump's China visit05/13/2026May 13, 2026WATCH: 3 key issues to watch out for ahead of Trump's China visit
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to discuss a range of topics, with three likely dominating the agenda.
Trade: Tariffs are expected to be a major part of the agenda as the US and China restarted a a trade war last year after Trump singled out China during his global tariff blitz.
The highest tariffs were walked back after China threatened to choke off rare earths, and a summit in October yielded tentative agreements on trade
Both sides will be looking to build on progress, with Trump saying he wants China to buy more US goods,
Taiwan: Self-ruled Taiwan is a red line for Beijing. The US policy is that it "does not support" Taiwanese independence. But China could see an opening with Trump in pressing the US to actively "oppose" it.
US arms sales to Taiwan are also something Beijing bristles at, and Trump said before leaving it would be part of his talks with Xi.
Artificial intelligence: Trump and Xi are sure to discuss AI, as it remains a key area of competition between the US and China.
China wants access to the most advanced chips used to develop and deploy frontier AI models, which currently are produced by US chip giant Nvidia. Jensen Huang, Nvidia's CEO, is part of Trump's business entourage in Beijing.
The Trump administration has allowed the sale of some less advanced Nvidia tech to China for a cut of the profits. A deal on more Chinese access to US tech would be lucrative for Beijing.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DhZhSkip next section China, US trade negotiators wrap up talks in Seoul05/13/2026May 13, 2026China, US trade negotiators wrap up talks in Seoul
China and the US held "candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges" in South Korea on resolving trade and economic issues and expanding cooperation, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng had three hours of talks in Seoul to prepare for a summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in China.
US and Chinese officials did not give an immediate summary of what the discussions entailed. Bessent is due to join Trump in Beijing later on Wednesday.
Both Bessent and He also held separate meetings with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the presidential Blue House.
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