President Xi Jinping warned Donald Trump during his visit to Beijing that mishandling the issue of Taiwan could trigger heightened tensions or even conflict between the two countries, according to Chinese state media.
If the Taiwan issue were handled poorly, it could place U.S.-China relations in a "very dangerous situation," Xi said during talks in the Chinese capital, state news agency Xinhua reported Thursday.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has long feared the island could formally declare independence, although Taiwan's government has not pursued such a move.
Independence and peace in the Taiwan Strait are incompatible, Xi said, referring to the waterway separating China and Taiwan.
Xi also said Taiwan was the most important issue in relations between Beijing and Washington and that handling it properly could help preserve stability between the two powers.
