President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14–15 to discuss trade, Iran, and the future of US-China relations. But Xi had one issue above all others on his mind: Taiwan.
That should surprise no one. For Beijing, Taiwan is no longer a side issue in the US-China relationship. It is becoming the center of stabilization between Washington and Beijing. Xi implicitly made an offer to President Trump during their meeting: if America wants a calmer relationship with China, Beijing expects Washington to reduce its support for Taiwan.
President Trump should reject that bargain.