Trump Shrugs Off China Threat to Cancel Xi Summit — SkimNews
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- Trump said he is not worried that Xi Jinping could cancel their planned summit later this month, despite Chinese warnings over potential new US arms sales to Taiwan, telling reporters China had been 'fair' with the US over the last several years.
- Xi Jinping raised Taiwan as 'the most important issue' in US-China relations when he met Trump in Beijing in mid-May, warning that mishandling it could lead to conflict.
- China has warned Washington that any fresh arms sales to Taiwan could put the planned Trump-Xi meeting at risk, calling Taiwan a 'red line' in the relationship.
- Trump plans to host Xi and his wife at the White House on September 24 with a state dinner, though the Chinese government has not officially announced or confirmed Xi's visit.
- The Trump administration announced an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December 2024 — the largest such package ever announced by the US — drawing an angry response from Beijing.
- If the summit proceeds, leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan, the war in Iran, a proposed framework to reduce tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods from each side, and a dialogue on AI safety.
Why it matters: For Taiwan, fresh US arms sales put a potential defense commitment in direct tension with keeping the summit alive — Beijing called the December $11 billion package's predecessor an angry provocation, and already views Taiwan as a 'red line.' If the meeting holds, the proposed $30 billion tariff-cut framework would deliver a concrete economic outcome across the world's two largest economies.
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