Xi, Trump sent clear warning to separatists

The China-United States summit has dealt a severe blow to the "pro-independence" stance of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party and sent a clear warning to separatist forces, experts said.

During his talks with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, President Xi Jinping underscored that safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait remained the biggest common denominator between China and the US.

Noting that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations, Xi told Trump that if it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy. Xi emphasized that "Taiwan independence" and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water.

In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump said: "I'm not looking to have somebody go independent," adding that Taiwan should not expect a "blank check" from the US military.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi, while briefing the media about the summit on Friday, said: "During the meeting, we felt that the US side understands China's position, attaches importance to China's concerns, and, just like the international community, does not stand for or accept Taiwan moving toward independence."

Liu Kuangyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Taiwan Studies, said that at the landmark summit, China made clear its stance, its bottom line, propositions, and also sincere goodwill regarding Taiwan-related affairs.

"Rather than letting hostile sentiments spiral upward, the pragmatic exchanges reflected a shared readiness to reduce strategic miscalculations, mitigate cross-Strait tensions, and eliminate the risks of unintended military clashes," Liu said.

He added that the proper and positive handling of the Taiwan question will substantially shape the outcomes achieved at the summit and determine how effectively the two sides can sustain constructive, strategic stability going forward.

Liu said that if China and the US aim to solidify a major-country relationship over the coming years, the Taiwan question must serve as the primary entry point.

Meanwhile, opposition parties and politicians in Taiwan severely condemned the ruling authorities for fabricating cross-Strait crises.

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the major opposition Chinese Kuomintang party, slammed the DPP's cross-Strait strategy, saying that "Taiwan independence" is a dead end that leads nowhere and the summit has shattered the DPP's international illusions.

KMT lawmaker Niu Hsu-ting told reporters that the summit's ripple effects will gradually surface, and the US clearly signaled conflict reduction, pouring "cold water" over the DPP's long-held separatist stance and its flawed narrative of guaranteed military defense from the US.

In a statement, Taiwan's Labor Party also warned that the DPP's separatist line remains the primary source of risk driving regional volatility.

The party condemned the administration's continuous military expansion, specifically referencing the newly passed defense budget, of which NT$780 billion ($24.7 billion) has been earmarked for procuring arms from the US.

It said that pouring vast public resources and taxpayers' money into endless weapon purchases directly sacrificed the livelihood of the grassroots.

Looking ahead, Liu of the Institute of Taiwan Studies warned that the US must exercise the utmost prudence to prevent triggering a great-power confrontation and refrain from maintaining illicit ties with the Taiwan authorities across political, military, legal, economic and ideological domains.

"They must recognize that the past tactics of using Taiwan as a so-called pawn or tool to contain China have actually done more harm than good in the long run and ultimately boomeranged," he said.

Only by translating political commitments into tangible actions can both nations consolidate the foundation of strategic mutual trust, he added.