China has signaled it may cancel the upcoming summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Washington if the United States approves new arms sales to Taiwan before the meeting scheduled for September 24. Kyodo News quoted sources familiar with Sino-US relations as saying that Beijing conveyed its position to the US side during preparatory meetings for the summit and urged Washington not to approve any additional arms deal for the island before the meeting.
Beijing links summit to Taiwan arms deal
According to the sources, China reiterated that the Taiwan issue represents a red line in its relations with the United States. The Chinese government has not officially announced Xi's participation in the meeting, while Trump said he would host the Chinese president and his wife at the White House and hold a formal dinner in their honor.
Trump said after those talks that he had not made a decision on the proposed deal, while Xi warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to a confrontation or conflict between the two countries. The Washington summit, if held, is expected to address economic and trade issues alongside Taiwan, including reducing tariffs and establishing a framework for dialogue on artificial intelligence safety.
