The remarks came during a summit between the two leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, where Xi and Trump held talks on trade, AI, Iran and broader regional security issues.
"The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations," Xi told Trump, according to Chinese state media.
"If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict," he said, warning it could push bilateral ties into "a highly perilous situation."
Xi also said "'Taiwan independence' and peace in the Taiwan Strait are like water and fire," adding that maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait represented "the greatest common denominator" between Washington and Beijing.
The warning came at the opening of a two-day summit that both sides had framed as a critical attempt to stabilize relations amid mounting geopolitical tensions and the ongoing Iran conflict.
Trump described the gathering as potentially the "biggest summit ever," while Xi urged both countries to avoid the so-called "Thucydides Trap" of great-power confrontation.
Ahead of the meeting, Beijing reiterated four major "red lines" in relations with Washington — Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China's political system and China's development rights — with Taiwan listed first.
Trump had previously said he intended to raise U.S. arms sales to Taiwan during the Beijing talks, though neither side disclosed how he responded directly to Xi's warning.
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