In their first direct conversation in four months, Mr Xi strongly warned the United States against intervening in the conflict with Taiwan, while Mr Biden sought to reassure his counterpart that his administration was not seeking to upset the current situation between the two sides and warned that neither should. “President Biden emphasized that the policy of the United States has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes anyone who would change the status quo or undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. , White House press secretary. after the call, which lasted two hours and 17 minutes. China’s Foreign Ministry called it a productive conversation, but countered what it sees as US provocations without directly mentioning a possible trip to Taiwan by Speaker Nancy Pelosi that has angered Beijing in recent days. “Playing with fire will burn itself out,” the ministry said in a statement, repeating a metaphor it also used in November. It reported that Xi told Biden that China “firmly opposes” “interference by foreign powers” in the Taiwan regime and that China “will never leave room for Taiwan independence forces in any form.” “Public opinion cannot be violated,” the statement added, referring to China’s position that Taiwan belongs to the Beijing government. “I hope the American side can see this clearly.” The call came as Ms. Pelosi’s potential trip to Taiwan has sparked consternation in Beijing, which has issued ominous threats of retaliation if she succeeds. No trip has been officially announced, but Ms. Pelosi has asked other members of Congress to join her next month for the first visit by a House speaker to the self-governing island in 25 years. The White House worries the trip would unnecessarily provoke China, even as the United States and Europe have consumed helping Ukraine fight Russian invaders. Mr. Biden has said publicly that the military thought it would be a bad time for Ms. Pelosi to leave. And while official White House officials say it’s up to the speaker to decide her own schedule, the unspoken message interpreted on Capitol Hill has put pressure on her to postpone or cancel. Tensions have been high in the region for months as China has refused to join the US effort to isolate Russia, has strongly asserted control of the Taiwan Strait and engaged in several close air encounters with US, Canadian and Australian aircraft. The war in Ukraine is being watched closely for implications for Taiwan, another small neighbor that desires a large and aggressive power. Mr. Biden vowed in May to use force to defend Taiwan if it was attacked like Ukraine, the third time he has said so in his short presidency, although he and aides later insisted he was not changing the long-standing American policy “strategic ambiguity” about how it would respond to such an occasion. The president’s language at the time emboldened Taiwanese and American hawks, even as it drew condemnation from Beijing. His language on Thursday appeared to be aimed at reducing the impression that he was taking a more assertive stance than past presidents.
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Countering China: In a bipartisan vote, the Senate approved a $280 billion bill aimed at building America’s manufacturing and technological edge to counter China. It is the most significant US government intervention in industrial policy in decades. Taiwan: The Biden administration has grown increasingly concerned that China may try to move against this self-governing island in the next year and a half — perhaps by trying to close the Taiwan Straits. Trade policy: The new trade deal announced by President Biden during a trip to Asia is based on two big ideas: containing China and moving away from a focus on markets and tariffs.
China’s aggressive behavior internationally comes as Mr Xi faces major problems at home ahead of a crucial party congress in November at which he is expected to be confirmed for a third term. China’s “zero Covid” lockdown policies have been deeply unpopular and the economy has slowed significantly as youth unemployment rises and mortgage and debt crises hit some regions. Analysts said he wants to show he can stand up to the United States heading to Congress. Ahead of Thursday’s call, Beijing issued stronger-than-usual statements about Ms. Pelosi’s planned trip, hinting that China may use military force if the speaker goes ahead with her plans. The United States would “bear the consequences” if Ms. Pelosi traveled to Taiwan, State Department spokesman Zhao Lijian said this week. The strong rhetoric was intended to dissuade Ms Pelosi from making the trip, but did not mean China would use force, said Xi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. “The Chinese have made it clear that they want Pelosi’s visit cancelled, but Beijing certainly does not want a military conflict at this time,” he said. However, the atmosphere was “extremely worse” than in March, when the two leaders last spoke by phone, he added. In the region, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan left Singapore on Tuesday and headed north in the South China Sea, in the direction of the Taiwan Strait, which could increase pressure between the two nations. A spokeswoman for the Seventh Fleet, Cmdr. Hayley Sims, described the movement as the carrier’s “continuing normal, scheduled operations as part of her routine patrol in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific”. He declined to say if or when the carrier would arrive in Taiwan territory. China has supported Russia’s war in Ukraine, buying large quantities of Russian oil and blaming the conflict on NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe. The Chinese statement issued after Thursday’s call said the leaders “exchanged views” on Ukraine, referring to the war there as a “crisis,” a nod to China’s core support for Russia that Mr. Biden has often criticized. US officials said the two presidents also discussed US tariffs imposed on China by former President Donald J. Trump and that Mr. Biden is considering lifting them, but no deal was reached during the conversation. China appeared sensitive to the industrial bill passed by Congress on Thursday to boost the US semiconductor industry and reduce dependence on China and other foreign manufacturers. “Efforts to disconnect or cut off supply chains in violation of underlying laws would not help stimulate the US economy,” the Chinese statement said. “They would make the global economy more vulnerable.” Ms. Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan in early August comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Chinese military. Communist leader Mao Zedong founded the People’s Liberation Army on August 1, 1927, a date that is one of the most important in the army’s calendar. Integral to China’s military training is how to organize a future occupation of Taiwan, an island of 23 million people that China claims as its own and has vowed to conquer if necessary. Ms. Pelosi would travel by military plane if she makes the trip, as is customary. One question that arose from her planned visit was whether the Chinese air force would attempt to escort Ms. Pelosi’s plane or interfere with it in any way as it approached Taiwan. The mood and outcome of the call could affect whether Mr. Biden and Xi meet in person later this year, in what would be their first face-to-face meeting since Mr. Biden became president, Yun Shun said. director of the China program. at the Stimson Center in Washington. The two men have known each other since 2011, when they were both vice presidents, and met in China on a “get to know you” trip by Mr. Biden. Both are likely to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, known as APEC, summit in Bangkok in November. Peter Baker reported from Washington and Jane Perlez from Seoul. Li You contributed research from Shanghai.
