China's Leaders Says World Is Trying To Trick Him Into Invading Taiwan

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has accused the US of trying to trick China into invading Taiwan, but he said it won't take the bait, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the FT, Xi made the accusation during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in April last year.

Xi has issued the same warning to officials in his own country, one source told the FT, but this would be the first time he made the claim to a foreign leader, the outlet said.

During the meeting, according to a press statement released at the time, Xi stressed that Taiwan was at the "core" of China's interests and that "if anyone expects China to compromise and concede on the Taiwan question, they are having a pipe dream and would shoot themselves in the foot."

Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London, told BI that Xi's reported accusation is a sign that China is "genuinely surprised" and "shocked" by the US' more recent "aggressiveness."

"The US has plenty of public figures now talking of Taiwan like it is a new Ukraine, and some even saying it needs to be diplomatically recognized," Brown added.