Xi warns Trump on Taiwan at Beijing summit

Key facts

• BEIJING — China’s leader, Xi Jinping, delivered a warning on Taiwan to President Donald Trump as they met for a summit in Beijing on Thursday, saying that the issue, if handled poorly, could lead to conflict and “an extremely dangerous situation.”
• The summit, the first US presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, could determine whether a detente between the two countries will continue — and what concessions, if any, either side is willing to make.
• The leaders met in the Chinese capital in a ceremony laden with pageantry and pleasantries. Xi greeted Trump outside the Great Hall of the People before the two men walked together past an honour guard and rows of cheering children. As “ The Star-Spangled Banner ” played, a 21-gun salute echoed across Tiananmen Square.
• The talks that followed lasted more than two hours. Xi called for the two countries to “be partners, not adversaries.” Trump said that he and Xi spoke on the phone to work out problems and called him “a great leader.”
• Later, at an ornate state banquet in the Great Hall, Xi said in a toast: “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand.” Trump thanked Xi for a “magnificent welcome like none other” and formally invited Xi to visit the White House on Sept 24.