Chinese President 
Xi Jinping on Thursday told US President 
Donald Trump that differences over Taiwan could lead to "clashes and even conflicts" between the two countries, framing Taiwan as "the most important issue" in the bilateral relationship after a nearly two-hour opening meeting in Beijing. The comments were published by Chinese state media after the talks, the Guardian reported, and Beijing positioned Taiwan at the center of the agenda from the first session. The two leaders also agreed the Strait of Hormuz "must remain open" amid the war with Iran, the White House said in a readout carried by Channel News Asia.
What did Xi actually say about Taiwan? The phrase used was "clashes and even conflicts," a formulation Chinese state media presented as a formal redline laid down on the first day, the Guardian reported. In NPR's summit account, the Chinese leader called Taiwan "the most important issue" between the US and China and pressed for what he framed as a "new positioning" of the relationship. Coverage in the Japan Times described the same passage as emphasizing Beijing's growing confidence in handling Washington directly.
How did Taipei respond? Taiwan's government replied that China remains the "sole risk" to peace in the strait, rejecting the framing that the dispute is a US-China matter to settle bilaterally, France 24 reported. 
Lai Ching-te's administration has spent the run-up to the summit lobbying Washington to keep arms sales and security guarantees off any negotiating table.
What did the two sides actually agree on? Beyond the Strait of Hormuz language, Trump used his state banquet speech to extend an invitation for Xi to visit the White House in September, per the White House readout in Channel News Asia. Beijing also allowed sanctioned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to attend under the Chinese-language name "Marco Lu," a workaround that let him sit at the table despite an outstanding Chinese sanctions order, Al Jazeera reported.
Figures referenced: Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Lai Ching-te. — JudgeMarket.
