(Photo : MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping warns US President Joe Biden against "playing with fire" over Taiwan as worries grew about a potential visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island that China claims as its own.
President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have a lengthy and honest talk about Taiwan on Thursday, as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to rise, despite Biden's former aim of resolving the world's most important country-to-country relationship.
The two presidents did agree to start planning a face-to-face summit, their first since Xi refuses to travel because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Certain areas of collaboration, such as climate change, were also worked out.
Xi Jinping Warns Joe Biden Not to "Play With Fire"
However, the Taiwan issue proved to be one of the most difficult. The issue has emerged as a serious point of contention, with US officials fearing a more imminent Chinese move on the self-governing island and a potential visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prompting warnings from Beijing and a concerted effort by the Biden administration to keep tensions in check.
The issue was thoroughly reviewed during the two-hour and seventeen-minute phone chat on Thursday. According to China's version of events, Xi issued a dire warning to Biden. A senior US administration source described the Taiwan talk as straight and honest, but downplayed Xi's warning, implying that it was usual practice for the Chinese leader to warn about the dangers of playing with fire.
This was the ninth phone chat between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping since February 2021. Before the conference, US officials claimed that a wide range of topics will be covered, from Taiwan-related issues to economic competitiveness to the Ukraine situation.
However, expectations for significantly improved relations with Beijing were minimal. Instead, Biden's advisers believe that keeping a personal connection with Xi can, at the very least, prevent a miscalculation that may lead to a clash, according to CNN.
When questioned if these comments heightened tensions, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre evaded and declined to comment. When questioned if these comments heightened tensions, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre evaded and declined to comment.
When asked if the conversation helped reduce tensions, Jean-Pierre emphasized that the call was simple, but he wouldn't elaborate. "The need to address American individuals who are unlawfully held" in China, she said, "as well as ongoing concerns about human rights," she said.
US Official Says US, China Leaders Had Substantive, In-Depth Talks
The US official on the phone Thursday elaborated on the meeting, telling reporters that it was substantive, as well as in-depth and honest, and described the difficulties in Taiwan in diplomatic boilerplate terminology.
As per Daily Mail, during the call, Xi Jinping stated his unwavering opposition to Taiwan's independence and the intervention of external forces. According to a White House readout of the two-hour talk, Biden stated that the US position on the matter has not changed over the two-hour call.
Pelosi would be the highest-ranking US political figure to visit Taiwan since Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997. Last week, Biden told reporters that US military authorities thought it was not a smart idea for the speaker to visit the island right now.
John Kirby, a US national security spokesperson, said Biden and Xi must communicate frequently. Biden and Xi last spoke in March, just after Russia invaded Ukraine. Biden has taken steps to reduce the United States' reliance on Chinese manufacturing, including final Senate approval on Thursday of legislation encouraging semiconductor companies to establish additional high-tech operations in the United States.
He also wants global democracies to rally behind infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries as an alternative to China's "Belt and Road Initiative," which aims to increase China's commerce with other global markets. To retain leverage over Beijing, Biden has maintained Trump-era tariffs on numerous Chinese-made items in place. However, he is considering whether to loosen at least some of them to alleviate the impact of rising inflation on the American people.
US authorities have also criticized China's "zero-COVID" strategy of mass testing and lockdowns to combat the spread of COVID-19 in its territory, calling it foolish and fearful that it would impede global economic development even more. Other causes of contention include China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims, which the US has labeled genocide, its militarization of the South China Sea, and its global economic and political espionage effort, Associated Press via MSN reported.
Related Article: Sen. Mitch McConnell Warns Thousands of Americans May Lose Jobs Following Democrats' Reconciliation Deal
