China's Veiled Threat of Conflict Against US — Rubio Warns of ‘Terrible Mistake’ | TaiwanTalks

Did Chinese leader Xi Jinping just issue a veiled threat to US President Donald Trump? At the highly anticipated Beijing summit, Xi warned that the US and China are on a 'collision course' over Taiwan. China is pushing the US to reduce support for Taiwan following the high-stakes Trump–Xi summit in Beijing. While both leaders publicly emphasized “strategic stability,” the real focus of the meeting appeared to be Taiwan and the future of the Indo-Pacific security order. Beijing is expected to have pressed Washington on arms sales and sought changes to long-standing US language on Taiwan — moves that could carry major implications for deterrence and the First Island Chain. At the same time, US officials warned against any forced change to the status quo. We break down the chilling “Thucydides Trap” warning, the secret negotiations, and what it means for US allies.

*Recorded on May 15, 2026 at 11am Taiwan Standard Time

Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat
Consultant: George Nee
Research Assistant: April Lin

Our guests:

Andrew Yang
- Former Republic of China (Taiwan) Minister of National Defense
Jason Hsu
- Hudson Institute Senior Fellow
Michael Chen
- Democratic Progressive Party International Affairs Director

Chapters:
00:00:00 – Taiwan in Spotlight During Summit
00:06:38 – A ‘Thucydides Trap’?
00:13:47 – Xi Warns US over Taiwan




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