Taiwan Tensions Rise as Xi Sends Clear Warning to Trump

Xi Jinping urges caution on Taiwan arms sales in a key Trump call, highlighting China-US relations, sovereignty concerns, and rising global tensions.

sarah

Feb 5, 2026 - 13:44

Chinese leader Xi Jinping described Taiwan as the "most important issue" in China-US relations during a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

State media reported that Xi told Trump to exercise "caution" when supplying weapons to the island, and said he "attaches great importance" to relations with Washington and hopes both sides will find ways to resolve their differences.

Trump described the conversation as "great" and "long and thorough."

Wednesday's call followed recent visits to China by Western leaders, including Britain's Keir Starmer, who are hoping to reset relations with the world's second-largest economy.

Trump himself is due to visit China in April, a trip he says he is "very much looking forward to."

He said Beijing is considering buying 20 million tons of US soybeans, up from the current 12 million tons.

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"Relations with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, are very good, and we both understand how important it is to keep it that way," he said.

According to Trump and China's Foreign Ministry, the two leaders last spoke by phone in November on a range of issues, including trade, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fentanyl, and Taiwan.

In addition to Taiwan and soybeans, Trump and Xi also discussed Russia's war in Ukraine, the current situation in Iran, and China's purchases of oil and gas from the US during their phone call on Wednesday, according to the US president.

On Taiwan, Xi said the self-governing island is "Chinese territory" and Beijing must "safeguard [Taiwan's] sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The United States should handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan cautiously," he warned, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

China has long vowed to "reunify" with Taiwan and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to do so. The US has formal relations with Beijing rather than Taiwan, and for decades it has maintained a delicate diplomatic balance. But it remains a powerful ally of Taiwan and the island's largest arms supplier.

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In December, the Trump administration announced a major arms sale to Taiwan worth approximately $11 billion (£8.2 billion), including advanced rocket launchers, self-propelled howitzers, and various missiles. At the time, Beijing said that this "attempt to support [Taiwan's] independence" would only "accelerate the process of pushing the Taiwan Strait into a dangerous and violent situation."

"Just as the US has its concerns, China also has its concerns," Xi told Trump on Wednesday.

"If both sides work in the same direction in the spirit of equality, respect, and mutual benefit, we can certainly find ways to address each other's concerns," he added.

Hours before his call with Trump, Xi held a virtual meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders praised the strengthening ties between Beijing and Moscow.

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