Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images BEIJING — U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a conversation Thursday with plans to arrange a face-to-face meeting for the first time since Biden took office, a senior U.S. official said during a briefing. However, Xi remained in strong words on the Taiwan issue, while Biden said the US position has not changed, according to official statements from the US and Chinese governments. Reads did not indicate plans for an in-person meeting, but noted that both sides plan to maintain communication. The US official was briefing reporters after the call. “There was an exchange at the end about … a conversation about a face-to-face meeting being worked out between the teams,” the official said, according to a White House transcript. “From my perspective, there was a clear, positive agenda that was put forward and agreed.” China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The two leaders’ latest conversation came during a tense period between their countries, particularly over recent rhetoric surrounding Taiwan. Beijing considers the democratically self-governing island as part of its territory. “The fact that the call happened is a mild positive and shows that both leaders want to maintain a level below the deterioration of bilateral relations,” Eurasia Group analysts said in a note. “Any future disruption of the US-China high-level dialogue would be a negative sign for global stability.” Why tensions between China and Taiwan are rising “Xi did not escalate China’s threats, but appeared to indirectly warn that Pelosi’s trip could inflame Chinese nationalism,” the report said. Beijing has warned of “strong and decisive measures” if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan this summer, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.
Don’t play with fire
During Thursday’s call, China’s leader held firm on the implications of support for Taiwan independence. “Resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people,” Xi said during the call, according to an official English-language statement from China’s foreign ministry. “Those who play with fire will perish by it,” the statement quoted Xi as saying in a section on his comments on China’s position on Taiwan. “Hopefully the US will be clear-eyed about this.” The US “one China policy” of recent decades has recognized Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China. The US also maintains informal relations with Taiwan, with a policy of ensuring the island has the resources to defend itself.
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Biden said during Thursday’s conversation with Xi that US policy on Taiwan has not changed, according to official statements from China and the White House. Tensions between the US and China have escalated under the Trump administration, which has slapped tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods from China and banned US businesses from selling supplies to some Chinese technology companies. The Biden administration has characterized the bilateral relationship as a strategic rivalry.
Areas of cooperation
The call – which lasted about 2 hours and 20 minutes – discussed areas of potential cooperation such as climate change and health security, the US official said. The Chinese reading noted that Xi stressed the need for both countries to communicate on “coordination of macroeconomic policies”, stabilizing supply chains and protecting global energy and food security. The two leaders, who last spoke in March, also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war, the US and Chinese governments said. Beijing has refused to call Moscow’s attack on Ukraine an invasion. There was never any chance that the US would violate its own one China policy. Even a visit from Pelosi wouldn’t change that. Scott Kennedy Center for Strategic and International Studies The call marked “a step forward in being able to discuss deeply sensitive issues with a worker [way]said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and managing chair in China business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “There was never any chance that the US would violate its own one-China policy,” Kennedy said. “Even a visit from Pelosi wouldn’t change that.” The two countries described the call as “sincere” and said it was initiated by the US The Chinese reading noted that Biden requested the call. 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 [People’s Republic of China] and to responsibly manage our differences and cooperate where our interests align.”
