China Tells Rubio Taiwan Is Biggest U.S. Ties Risk
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- Wang Yi told Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an April 30, 2026 call that self-ruled Taiwan is the "biggest risk" in bilateral relations and urged Washington to "make the right choices" to safeguard stability.
- Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on May 1 with a statement expressing concern over China's press release and calling Beijing's remarks "unilaterally threatening."
- The call came roughly two weeks before a highly anticipated Trump-Xi summit, with Taiwan expected to be a key agenda item.
- Trump had previously said he would discuss arms sales to Taiwan with Xi Jinping, a statement that raised concerns on the island.
- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te was forced to postpone a late-April visit to Eswatini after three countries withdrew overflight clearance under Chinese pressure, according to his office.
- China neither confirmed nor denied the pressure allegations, instead expressing "high appreciation" for the countries' "adherence to the one-China principle."
Why it matters: With the Trump-Xi summit roughly two weeks out, Beijing's public labeling of Taiwan as the "biggest risk" turns a routine diplomatic call into a pre-summit pressure play, while Taiwan's direct public pushback signals it won't absorb that framing quietly. The Eswatini transit blockade — in which three countries revoked overflight permission — shows Beijing already constraining Taipei's diplomacy, not just its defense perimeter.
