US-China Ties: President Biden Calls Xi Jinping

US-China Ties: President Biden calls Xi Jinping, and China warns the USA ‘not to play with fire on the Taiwan issue.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday warned US President Joe Biden not to “play with fire” on Taiwan.

Because concerns had mounted over a possible visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the Chinese-claimed island.

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a phone conversation for the fifth time on Thursday.

The two leaders held talks for more than two hours as tensions escalated over a possible visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The White House said the talks, which began at 8:33 a.m. local time, lasted until 10:55 a.m.

US-China Ties:  China opposes Taiwan’s independence and interference from outside forces.

Chinese state media said that Xi told Biden in his fifth call as a leader that the United States should adhere to the “one-China principle” and insisted that China stood firm on Taiwan’s independence and interference from outside forces.

Biden told Xi that US policy on Taiwan has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral attempts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

Highlighting Taiwan, Xi also stressed the need for both sides to maintain communication on macroeconomic policies, safeguarding global supply chains, and global food and energy security, Chinese state media said.

The president’s call lasted for more than two hours. US officials said it would have a broader agenda, including a discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has not yet been condemned by China.

Although at its core, US officials said they saw the exchange as another opportunity to manage the competition between the world’s two largest economies.

The relations turned sharply upside down due to tensions over democratically-ruled Taiwan, which Xi has vowed to reconnect with the mainland.

Washington does not have official relations with Taiwan and follows a “one-China policy” that recognizes Beijing, not Taiwan.

But it is obliged by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself, with increasing pressure in Congress for more explicit support.

The White House said, “The call was part of the Biden administration’s efforts to maintain and deepen the lines of communication between the United States and the PRC and responsibly manage our differences and where our interests align, We work together there.”

A person briefed on Call’s plan said the Biden administration thinks leader-to-leader talks are the best way to de-escalate tensions in Taiwan.

Some analysts believe that Xi is also interested in avoiding escalation as he seeks an unprecedented third term in the Congress of China’s ruling Communist Party, expected in the fall.

Others, however, say playing up the Taiwan issue could distract Xi from China’s slowing economy at home.