After the summit

Trump opens up to Xi on Taiwan: 'No independence'. CNN: towards new attacks on Iran

The US president speaks at the end of the summit that led to the thaw with Beijing. Taipei reacts: 'Washington's policy unchanged'

15 May 2026Aggiornato il 16 maggio 2026, ore 08:38

Aggiungi Il Sole 24 Ore
ai preferiti su Google

Il presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald durante la sua missione diplomatica a Pechno, alla corte del leader Xi Jinping via REUTERS

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Trump: "I don't want Taiwan to declare independence and start a war"
Chinese Foreign Minister: We and the US are interdependent

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The tension over Taiwan is back. "I don't want anyone to declare independence and for the US to have to travel 15,000 kilometres to go to war," Donald Trump said after the summit with Xi in Beijing, later denying that Xi's warning about Taiwan was a "threat" to the US. But Taipei asserts its independence and reiterates: 'Arms sales are part of US security commitments, Washington's policy remains unchanged'. The US president also returned to talk about Iran. According to CNN, which has heard from sources with knowledge of the facts, it has never been so close since the beginning of the ceasefire to resuming attacks. The 'two days' brought about the diplomatic thaw, but not the desired breakthrough.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to the US in the autumn of 2026, "at the invitation of US President Donald Trump". This was confirmed by the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Moreover, in the coming days, and particularly on 20 May, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China. This was reported by the South China Morning Post, giving an account of a move that goes to confirm Beijing's central role in relations between great powers and the Chinese leader's close ties with Russia. The Kremlin chief's visit, should it go ahead, will be for only one day, as a routine step in Russian-Chinese relations, according to anonymous sources, who say "the event is unlikely to include elaborate ceremonies, such as a parade".

Trump: "I don't want Taiwan to declare independence and start a war."

In an interview with Fox News about Taiwan, the US president said, "I don't want anyone to declare independence and for the US to have to travel 15,000 kilometres to go to war". "Nothing has changed" in US policy towards Taiwan. "I want them to calm down. I want China to calm down," said Trump who then would not formally commit to the issue of arms sales to Taipei. 'I might do that. I might not," he told Fox's Bret Baier "We don't want to start wars. If the status quo were maintained, I think China would have no objection. But we don't want anyone to feel entitled to say, 'Let's declare independence, the US has our back anyway,'" he insisted.

Earlier, Trump had avoided directly answering a question about Taiwan's possible defence in the event of an attack by China. He did so while speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, returning from Beijing after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "I don't want to say it. I won't say it," Trump said. The US president added that he would be asked the same question by Xi Jinping during the talks: 'He asked me the same thing today. I replied, 'I don't talk about these things'." Trump then reiterated that he did not want to clarify the US position: 'I don't want to say that. There is only one person who knows. Do you know who it is? Me."

The US president also spoke about his meetings with the Chinese leader in other circumstances. With Xi Jinping 'we will meet four times this year. He wants to come to the G20 in Doral,' Trump pointed out about the summit in Florida in mid-December. 'And I will try' to attend Apec in China.

Taiwan, Trump dopo il vertice con Xi: “Nessun rischio di guerra con la Cina”

Chinese Foreign Minister: Trump understands our position on Taiwan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing believes President Donald Trump "understands" China's position on Taiwan. "During the meeting, we got the feeling that the US side understands China's position and attaches importance to Chinese concerns and, like the international community, neither supports nor accepts Taiwan's independence," Wang told Chinese state media, as reported by CNN. "The Taiwan issue is the most important issue in Sino-US relations; it affects the situation as a whole," Wang reiterated. "We hope the US side will respect the one-China principle and the three joint Sino-US communiques and fulfil its international obligations."

In addition, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the Chinese declination of the formula "constructive and stable strategic relationship between China and the United States" reached between US President Donald Trump and Chinese ombudsman Xi Jinping, stating that "it should be a positive and stable relationship, based on cooperation, that continuously strengthens the solidity of Sino-US relations through exchanges and collaboration".

"As the world's two largest economies, China and the US are interdependent; neither can do without the other. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms them both. Confrontation would be disastrous for both countries and the world, while cooperation can achieve great things that benefit both and the world,' Wang illustrated. "It should be a healthy and stable competition, marked by moderation, not a zero-sum game where one side wins and the other loses," the Chinese foreign minister noted.

"Competition between the great powers is not surprising, but it cannot define the entire dynamic of Sino-US relations. Even if there is competition between China and the US, it should be healthy, based on mutual learning, positive, in which both sides strive to improve, and fair, with respect for the rules. The purpose of competition is for both sides to become better versions of themselves,' Wang added.

"This should be a stable and manageable state of disagreement, not a seesaw of oscillations. Both sides should maintain continuity and stability in their policies, especially by honouring their commitments and moving steadily in the same direction, so as to provide greater certainty to their respective development and the international situation, fuelling positive expectations for cooperation between China and the US," the Chinese minister continued, according to a report by China's Xinhua news agency.