Beijing, 05 February (H.S.): Chinese President Xi Jinping designated Taiwan as the paramount flashpoint in bilateral relations during a comprehensive telephone exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, February 4, imploring Washington to exercise utmost prudence in arms sales to the self-governing island amid Beijing's unyielding vows of reunification.

Xi asserted Taiwan constitutes China's territory whose inviolable integrity Beijing must safeguard, cautioning that precipitous U.S. weaponry transfers—exemplified by December's $11 billion package encompassing advanced rocket launchers, self-propelled howitzers, and missiles—imperil stability across the Taiwan Strait and contravene post-World War II accords forged against fascism.

While affirming mutual concerns warrant equitable resolution through respect, Xi underscored reunification's non-negotiable essence, having hours earlier lauded deepening Sino-Russian bonds in a virtual colloquy with Vladimir Putin.

Trump hailed the excellent and long and thorough dialogue—his second with Xi since November—as buttressing an extremely good personal rapport, disclosing China's commitment to escalate U.S. soybean imports from 12 million to 20 million tonnes this season and 25 million next, alongside burgeoning oil and gas procurements.

Conversations spanned Russia's Ukraine incursion and Iran's vicissitudes, with Trump eagerly anticipating an April China sojourn—reciprocated by Xi's prospective U.S. visit—against a backdrop of Western overtures, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's recent engagements.

The parley, trailing the leaders' October Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation sideline encounter in South Korea, navigates fraught dynamics: America's formal Beijing recognition yet Taiwan's principal armament benefactor status, juxtaposed against China's force-tolerant reunification rhetoric.

Xi advocated collaborative divergence mitigation, yet Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai repudiated any return, as Japan signals prospective intervention per Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's stance.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar