U.S.-China leaders talk on the phone, exchange Taiwan tours Mr. Xi "playing with fire"

 

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation on the 28th. Mr. Xi warned about the situation in Taiwan with the word "playing with fire" and expressed strong concern about the planned visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

He called on the US government to adhere to the "one-China" principle and emphasized that China was categorically opposed to Taiwan's independence and external interference.

According to the White House, Mr. Biden said the US policy on Taiwan remained unchanged and strongly opposed changes in the status quo or unilateral movements that would undermine the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan issued a statement after the meeting between the leaders of the United States and China, thanking Mr. Biden for his support for Taiwan and expressing his intention to further deepen his partnership with the United States on security.

Biden and Xi also discussed the possibility of the first face-to-face meeting and instructed stakeholders to consider it, according to senior U.S. government officials.

A senior official told reporters that Mr. Xi had used similar words before traveling to Taiwan, and both sides acknowledged different positions for 40 years. "The conversation between them about Taiwan was direct and straightforward," he said.

Mr. Biden emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue over Taiwan and also exchanged views on areas where cooperation can be expanded, such as climate change and health security.

According to the Chinese side, in addition to the Taiwan issue, Mr. Xi emphasized the importance of the United States and China continuing dialogue on macroeconomic policies, supply chains, and global food and energy security.

Mentioning U.S. efforts to eliminate the dependence of strategic supplies on China, "decoupling and efforts to disconnect supply networks do not benefit the U.S. economy, but only make the world economy more vulnerable. That's it. "

The Biden administration has been considering whether to partially withdraw tariffs on China as a measure against inflation, but tariff cuts were not mentioned at the meeting, according to senior US officials.

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Jean-Pierre revealed that Mr. Biden had taken up the issue of genocide and forced labor in China.

"We are grateful that Mr. Biden emphasized the importance of the common interests of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," said the Taiwanese representative in Washington.