Why Taiwan Matters to China: Xi to Press Trump on Arms Sales

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to urge the US to halt arms sales to Taiwan during his meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington this week, as Beijing considers Taiwan its most sensitive sovereignty issue. China claims Taiwan has been Chinese territory since ancient times, viewing it as an unresolved matter from the 1949 civil war. Beijing calls Taiwan a province with no right to statehood and has never ruled out using force, though it prefers peaceful reunification. Taiwan's democratic government rejects Beijing's claims, asserting it is an independent country called the Republic of China. The US maintains official neutrality under its One China policy but provides Taiwan defensive arms under the Taiwan Relations Act.