In a phone call with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed Beijing’s concerns about a potential trip by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island that China claims as its own.
In their fifth call as leaders, Xi reportedly told Biden, “Those who play with fire will perish by it.” This was reported by the Chinese foreign ministry. It is hoped that the US will view this clearly.
Xi said Washington should abide by the “one-China principle” and stressed that China firmly opposes Taiwanese independence and outside interference.
According to the White House, Biden informed Xi that US policy on Taiwan had not changed and that Washington vehemently opposes any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo or jeopardise peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan expressed its desire to continue strengthening its security partnership with the United States after thanking Biden for his support, according to a statement released by the foreign ministry on Friday.
The long-awaited call, according to the White House, was a part of the administration’s efforts to improve relations with China and “responsibly manage our differences.”
It has been especially eager to bring the temperature down in Taiwan.
A dramatic, though not unprecedented, show of US support for the island would be the House speaker’s visit, and some analysts are concerned that such a move at a time when US relations with Beijing are tense could lead to a serious crisis and even unintended conflicts.
Leader-level contacts, according to Scott Kennedy, a China analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, are crucial to averting this.
It’s clear that there needs to be much more frequent and in-depth communication, he said, adding that one hopes they’ve taken enough precautions to prevent a collision in the near future.
Biden and Xi discussed the possibility of holding their first-ever face-to-face meeting as leaders and instructed their teams to look into it, according to a senior US official.
According to the official, Biden emphasised the value of maintaining contact with Taiwan and the two also spoke about potential areas for increased cooperation, such as climate change, health security, and drug enforcement.
In addition to praising Taiwan, Xi emphasised the need for continued dialogue between the world’s two biggest economies regarding macroeconomic policies, international supply chains, and the preservation of food and energy security, according to China’s readout.
Additionally, the senior US official stressed how crucial macroeconomic coordination is.
Beijing has repeatedly warned that Pelosi, a Democrat like Biden, will face consequences if she visits Taiwan. Xi has vowed to use force if necessary to subjugate Taiwan to Beijing.
Pelosi has not yet confirmed that she will travel, but China hasn’t given many hints as to what specific responses it might issue in that case.
The US official informed journalists. Xi previously expressed similar sentiments about Taiwan and claimed that the two sides recognised their 40-year-old differences in viewpoints. “Their conversation was having
The conversation lasted for more than two hours. It would cover a wide range of topics, according to US officials, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which China has not yet denounced.
According to Washington’s “one-China policy,” Beijing receives diplomatic recognition rather than Taipei. However, it is required by US law to give Taiwan’s democratically elected government the means to defend itself, and pressure has grown in Congress for more overt assistance.
Given that Xi is running for an unprecedented third term in office this year, some analysts think he has a stake in preventing an escalation. Others assert that Xi may use the Taiwan issue to divert attention away from China’s sluggish domestic economy.
When questioned about the call, Taiwan’s embassy in Washington told Reuters that it was appreciative to Biden “for underscoring the
Beijing and Washington have both been dealing with economic issues. In contrast to the United States, which is grappling with surging inflation amid worries of a recession, China’s $18 trillion economy has been severely harmed by its strict COVID regulations and complete urban lockdowns.
Chinese state media announced on Thursday that the country would make every effort to produce the best economic results this year, abandoning earlier claims that it would make every effort to achieve its 2022 growth target. This came after a senior Communist Party meeting that was presided over by Xi.
“In defiance of underlying patterns, attempts to decouple or break up supply chains would not help the US economy. They would only increase the vulnerability of the global economy, “Regarding US efforts to reduce reliance on China for strategic goods, Xi said.
The Biden administration has been debating whether to remove some tariffs on Chinese goods as a way to lower the skyrocketing inflation, but the senior US official claimed that Biden did not bring up potential measures with Xi.
In his last conversation with Xi in March, Biden threatened “consequences” if Beijing provided financial aid to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to Washington, this line has not been crossed since.
Taiwan has complained about increased Chinese military activity, and just before the call on Thursday, the military of Taiwan claimed it had fired flares to scare away a drone that may have been inspecting the defences of a strategically important but heavily fortified island close to the Chinese coast.
Taiwan was last visited by a US House speaker in 1997.
Since then, China has significantly increased its military and economic might, and the White House claims that the administration has been in contact with Pelosi’s office to ensure that she has “all the context” she needs to decide how to proceed with her travel.
