Xi Jinping is chasing a huge concession from Donald Trump: Opposing Taiwan independence

The Chinese leader views the president's eagerness for a trade deal as an opportunity to press for his top goal

- Lingling Wei

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is planning to press his American counterpart to formally state that the U.S. 'opposes' Taiwan's independence.

(REUTERS)

Having set the stage for a year of high-level engagement with the Trump administration, Xi Jinping is now chasing his ultimate prize, according to people familiar with the matter: a change in U.S. policy that Beijing hopes could isolate Taiwan.

As President Trump has shown interest in striking an economic accord with China in the coming year, the people said, the Chinese leader is planning to press his American counterpart to formally state that the U.S. “opposes” Taiwan's independence.

Since coming to power in late 2012, Xi has made bringing Taiwan under Beijing's control a key tenet of his “China Dream” of national revival. Now, well into an unprecedented third term, he has repeatedly emphasized that “reunification” is inevitable and can’t be stopped by outside forces—a reference to Washington’s political and military support to Taipei.

Xi is no longer satisfied with the U.S. position adopted by the administration of President Joe Biden that Washington “does not support” Taiwanese independence, the people said. That statement reassured Beijing but didn’t deviate from the U.S.’s strategically ambiguous “One China” policy, which acknowledges Beijing’s claim over Taiwan without endorsing it.

For Xi, the difference between not supporting Taiwan’s independence and explicitly opposing it is more than semantics. It would signal a shift in U.S. policy from a neutral position to one that actively aligns with Beijing against Taiwanese sovereignty—a change that could further cement Xi’s hold on power at home.