Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to hold talks on Thursday, a source familiar with the planning said, amid renewed tensions over Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that managing economic competition between the two countries will also be a focus of the call. It will be the fifth conversation between the leaders and comes as China has strongly warned the Biden administration about a possible visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to democratically-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “Everything from the tensions over Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and how we better manage the competition between our two nations, certainly in the economic area,” Kirby said of the topics to be discussed. “This is a call that has been planned for a long time and there is already a pretty strong agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about,” he said. Under its one-China policy, the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The White House was quick to reiterate that stance has not changed despite speculation about a possible Pelosi trip. Kirby said Pelosi is in the line of succession to the presidency and therefore her trip abroad was a matter of US national security. But only she could make decisions about her journey. The “belligerence” in rhetoric from Beijing about the potential trip only escalates tensions, he said. “We feel that this does not help and is certainly not at all necessary given the situation,” he said. The administration has discussed whether to lift some tariffs on Chinese goods as a way to boost the US economy, but Kirby said no decision was expected before the call. The call comes as the U.S. Congress considers legislation known as the CHIPs act to provide about $52 billion in subsidies to the U.S. semiconductor industry, as well as an investment tax credit for chip factories worth an estimated $24 billion, the which Biden has urged as critical. for economic competition with China. Biden referred to the planned conversation with Xi during mock remarks urging passage of the legislation on Monday, telling reporters, “That’s my expectation, but I’ll let you know when that happens.” The Senate is expected to vote on the final passage in the coming days, and the US House could follow suit within the week. read more
“CHALLENGES”
The prospect of Pelosi’s trip is just one in a long list of disagreements plaguing frayed US-China relations. Earlier on Tuesday, senior US officials accused China of increased “provocations” against rival territorial claimants in the South China Sea and said “aggressive and irresponsible behavior” by Chinese ships and aircraft meant it was only a matter of time before a major incident or accident occurred. . . read more A trip by Pelosi would be the first by the speaker of the House since 1997, and China has said it is ready to take strong action in response. read more Daniel Russell, who served as the top US diplomat for Asia under former President Barack Obama, said the Taiwan issue had the makings of a real crisis, with no US-China mechanism to prevent the conflict from escalating. He said it was unclear how much pressure the Biden administration was putting on Pelosi, but Xi was likely to push hard on the issue in the call, adding: “We are in a high-stakes moment, and it behooves leaders in both countries. tread carefully.” But Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Xi would likely seek to play calm as he faces a slowing economy under pressure from strict domestic COVID-19 measures ahead of of an important Communist Party Congress in the fall. “While Xi will be clear and direct about China’s objections to Speaker Pelosi’s trip, he will likely not allow this one issue to derail the entire discussion, as doing so would further complicate his already difficult governing agenda Singleton said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Steve Holland, Michael Martina, Alexandra Alper, Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunnstrom in Washington. Edited by Cynthia Osterman, Matthew Lewis and Richard Pullin Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
