Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned US President Donald Trump that missteps on Taiwan could push the United States and China into “conflict”, as both leaders met in Beijing on Thursday for a high-level superpower summit.

Trump arrived in China to a ceremonial welcome and praised Xi as a “great leader” and “friend”, expressing optimism about future relations between both countries.

However, Xi struck a more cautionary tone during the talks, stressing that the Taiwan issue remains central to China–US relations.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations. If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire relationship into a highly perilous situation,” Xi said, according to Chinese state media.

The meeting, which lasted about two hours and 15 minutes, was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and featured a full state reception, including a military band, 21-gun salute and crowds of schoolchildren chanting welcome messages.

Xi also emphasised the need for cooperation between both powers, stating that “the two sides should be partners and not rivals”, while referencing the long-standing geopolitical concept of the “Thucydides Trap” — the risk of conflict when a rising power challenges an established one.

“Can China and the United States transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations?” he asked.

Trump, in response, said he believed relations between both countries would improve significantly, describing the summit as a step toward a “fantastic future together”.

The United States maintains formal relations with Beijing but is legally required to support Taiwan’s self-defence through arms sales, a policy that continues to strain relations with China, which claims the island as its territory.

Following Xi’s remarks, Taiwan reiterated that China remains the “sole risk” to regional peace and reaffirmed its close ties with the United States.

The White House described the initial discussions as “good” but did not directly address Taiwan in its official readout.

Other issues discussed included trade relations, the Ukraine conflict, North Korea and the Middle East, with both sides reportedly agreeing on the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for global energy flow.

The summit also featured participation from top US business figures, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who attended parts of the talks.

Both leaders are expected to continue discussions on trade cooperation and a possible extension of the existing tariff truce agreed during their previous meeting.