Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the critical nature of the Taiwan issue during his summit with Donald Trump, warning that improper handling could escalate tensions into conflict and a dangerous situation. The tone was noted as significantly tougher than previous discussions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the “Taiwan question” early in his summit with US counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday, warning that any mishandling of the critical issue could lead to conflict and push relations into an “extremely dangerous situation”. Xi’s messaging on Taiwan was tougher in tone than during their last Beijing summit in 2017, analysts noted. They suggested that managing this issue would be the primary factor for ensuring what the Chinese leader called “constructive...