When China’s leader, Xi Jinping, sits down with President Donald Trump to address worsening trade tensions, he will also be pursuing another goal: persuading Trump to soften US support for Taiwan.

Trump has said he wants to focus on trade when he meets Xi in South Korea, even if the Chinese leader raises Taiwan, the democratically governed island roughly 100 miles off China’s coast that Beijing claims as its own.

The meeting raises a key question: how negotiable is American support for Taiwan, especially given Trump’s sometimes dismissive comments about the island? Analysts said Chinese officials may seek to draw Trump out on the issue and have him clarify his position.

Xi probably wants Trump to state that the United States does not support independence for Taiwan. That would echo what

See Full Page