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26 September 2026 · National and international edition

Taiwan in US–China Ties: Xi’s Washington visit presses for ‘opposing independence’ as a record arms package waits

  • Taiwan Relations Act
  • One China Policy
  • US–China Relations
  • Taiwan Strait
  • Semiconductors

Why it is in the news

Chinese President Xi Jinping ended a three-day state visit to the United States on 25 September 2026 with tea in the White House Red Room and a joint tour of the National Archives with President Donald Trump. In Washington, Xi said China hopes the US will ‘adhere to the correct position of opposing Taiwan independence’ so as to lay a ‘solid foundation’ for China–US strategic cooperation — putting Taiwan back at the centre of the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship.

The exam angle

Issue: Can leader-level ‘managed stability’ between the US and China last when the Taiwan question — arms sales, sovereignty language and deterrence — is left unresolved and increasingly used as a bargaining chip?

Written for APPSC Group 1, TGPSC Group 1 and UPSC Civil Services. More from 26 September 2026 or all current affairs.

Taiwan in US–China Ties: Xi’s Washington visit presses for ‘opposing independence’ as a record arms package waits · PrepShark