China Warns US to Maintain Stability, Taiwan Emerges as Greatest Risk Point
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the United States to maintain stability between the two superpowers. Several weeks before President Donald Trump visits Beijing, China has warned that Taiwan is the greatest risk point.
According to AFP on Friday (1/5/2026), in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Wang Yi stated that Beijing and Washington must “maintain the stability that has been hard-earned” in China-US relations, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.
The talks also addressed the Middle East, where China has been Tehran’s main partner but has largely kept its distance after Trump joined Israel in attacking Iran, causing global oil prices to plummet.
A US State Department official confirmed the phone conversation and said it was to arrange Trump’s trip but provided no further details.
Trump is scheduled to visit China on 14-15 May to meet President Xi Jinping—this is the Republican billionaire’s first visit to the rival nation since returning to the White House in January 2025.
During Trump’s first year back in office, Washington and Beijing clashed over trade and tariffs until a ceasefire was announced in October, when Trump and Xi met in South Korea.
“Both sides must maintain the stability that has been achieved with great difficulty, prepare well for important high-level interactions, expand areas of cooperation” and manage their differences, Wang told Rubio, according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.
Although relations “have remained generally stable” under Trump and Xi, Wang “emphasised that the Taiwan issue concerns China’s core interests and is the greatest risk point in China-US relations”, it said.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification and is highly critical of US military aid to the self-governing island and its support for Taipei on the international stage.
“The United States must respect its commitments and make the right choices, opening new prospects for bilateral cooperation and doing its part to promote world peace,” Wang said.
The Chinese ministry’s statement said that Wang and Rubio had “exchanged views” on the situation in the Middle East, without providing further details.