Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Donald Trump that missteps on Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict”, a stark opening salvo as they met in Beijing on Thursday at a superpower summit.

Trump had arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend”, as he predicted their countries would have “a fantastic future together”.

But beyond the pomp as he welcomed Trump, Xi in less effusive tones said the two sides “should be partners and not rivals”, while highlighting the issue of Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its territory — straight off the bat.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to remarks published by Chinese state media shortly after the start of the talks, which lasted two hours 15 minutes.

“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” Xi added.

Trump’s trip to Beijing is the first by a US president in nearly a decade, with the grand reception belying a roster of unresolved trade and geopolitical tensions between the two countries.

Xi greeted Trump with a red-carpet welcome at the opulent Great Hall of the People, with military band fanfare, a 21-gun salute and a host of schoolchildren jumping and chanting “welcome!”.

Seemingly enjoying the ceremony, Trump said “the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before”.

Xi instead referenced an ancient Greek political theory about the risks of war when a rising power rivals a ruling power.

“Can China and the United States transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations?” Xi asked, adding that “cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both”.

There has been plenty of the latter since Trump’s last visit in 2017, with the two countries having spent much of 2025 embroiled in a dizzying trade war and at odds on many major global issues.