Taiwan was central in Xi’s meeting with Trump — but not with Putin

The meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. and Russian counterparts came just days apart, but the style and substance of the encounters stood in stark contrast.

Xi’s meeting with President Donald Trump was replete with pomp and pageantry, reflecting Beijing eagerness to project China’s power, strength and history during the White House leader’s state visit. but the Chinese premier’s meeting with his Russian counterpart and “friend” Vladimir Putin has been a much more relaxed affair, with the two leaders reaffirming already close strategic and geopolitical ties.

One major notable difference between the two encounters, however, was Taiwan, which was a cornerstone of one meeting and completely absent from the other.

The contested status of the island — which China claims as its own — was a central and awkward issue in Xi’s meeting with Trump, but the thorny matter was glossed over in talks with Putin.

“Xi does not want to have the Taiwan issue, and China’s claims that Taiwan is rightfully its territory, to be conflated with Russia’s irredentism and claims, and war, on Ukrainian territory,” Max Hess, founder of political risk consultancy Enmetena Advisory, told CNBC Wednesday.

“That would make China seem far more belligerent,” Hess said, adding that while “China has recognized Ukraine and its borders many times in the past, it has never recognized Taiwan’s independence.”

Xi said that any mishandling of the Taiwan “question,” which he described as “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” would put the two superpowers’ relationship in “great jeopardy.”

He went further, warning Trump that U.S. interference in Taiwan could be a flashpoint for direct “clashes and even conflicts” between the two countries. He also appeared to tie the economic stability of the two nations to the matter.

Beijing considers the democratically self-ruled island of Taiwan part of its territory and central to its national sovereignty. The island’s ruling party rejects that claim.

The U.S. acknowledges China’s view, but maintains strong relationships with Taipei and previously committed to supplying Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Analysts suggest that Xi’s comments were largely designed to convince the Trump administration to delay or cancel a pending U.S. arms sale package to Taiwan.

“Chinese leaders view these arms sales as a major irritant. If Taiwan did not receive U.S. defense support, then it would be much easier for China to take the island by force. Hence Xi’s attempt to lobby Trump for inaction on the pending $14 billion package,” Melanie Hart, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, said…