Taiwan pushed back against Beijing on Thursday after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Donald Trump that disagreements over Taiwan could push U.S.-China relations toward conflict.

Taipei said there was “nothing surprising” in the summit discussions but argued that China’s military pressure against the island remains the true danger to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Taipei Responds To Xi’s Warning

Speaking in Taipei, Mainland Affairs Council spokesman Liang Wen-chieh said Taiwan has long remained a central topic in meetings between Chinese and American leaders.

“At this point, all we can say is that there has been no surprising information so far and we will continue to maintain close communication with the American side,” Liang told reporters.

His remarks came hours after Xi warned Trump during their Beijing summit that mishandling Taiwan could lead to an “extremely dangerous situation” and even conflict between the world’s two largest powers.

According to Beijing’s official readout, Xi described Taiwan as the most important issue in China-U.S. relations.

Taiwan Blames Beijing’s Military Activity

Liang said the greatest threat to peace was not Taiwan’s democracy or its desire to preserve its current political system, but China’s expanding military pressure campaign around the island.

“If maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is truly the greatest common ground between China and the United States, then the Chinese Communist Party should restrain its own behaviour of military intimidation,” he said.

China’s military aircraft and naval vessels operate around Taiwan almost daily, with Beijing increasing military exercises and patrols near the island in recent years.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory and has never ruled out using force to bring the island under its control.

‘Taiwan Independence’ Remains Flashpoint

Beijing has repeatedly accused Taiwan President Lai Ching-te of supporting separatism and warned that any formal move toward independence could trigger war.

Liang rejected those accusations, arguing that Taiwan’s government is seeking to preserve the status quo rather than pursue formal independence.

“Taiwan independence is a false issue,” he said, adding that the government’s objective was maintaining the continued existence of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name.

“In their view, buying weapons is ‘Taiwan independence.’ Arresting bandit spies is ‘Taiwan independence,’” Liang added, using an old Cold War-era phrase.

U.S.-China Rivalry Continues

The White House summary of the Trump-Xi meeting did not mention Taiwan directly, and Trump avoided answering reporters’ questions on whether the issue was discussed during appearances with Xi in Beijing.

The United States remains Taiwan’s most important international supporter and largest arms supplier despite lacking formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.

Taiwan’s government continues to reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims, insisting that only the island’s 23 million people can decide their future.

(with inputs from Reuters)