New Delhi: Amid the mounting tensions over Taiwan, US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held direct talks over the phone on Thursday for well over two hours, as reported by news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP). Xi warned Biden not to “play with fire”. “Those who play with fire will eventually get burned,” Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Biden. “I hope the US side fully understand that,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the White House has released a statement on the meeting and said, “US President Joe Biden spoke today with Chinese President Xi Jinping to maintain & deepen lines of communication between the US & PRC & responsibly manage our differences & work together where our interests align.”
“On Taiwan, US President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the statement said.
“Both presidents viewed their call as candid and in-depth,” the state news agency reported.
Biden’s talk with Xi, which lasted two hours and 17 minutes, was the fifth talk since becoming US president a year and a half ago. Significantly, the latest tension between the two countries has arisen over the possible visit of Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Congress (Parliament).
Taiwan is a self-governing island that China considers its part. China said it would view the visit as an act of provocation.
US National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday that it is important that Biden and Xi remain in regular contact. Briefing the media at the White House, Kirby said, “Tensions over China’s aggressive, coercive behavior in the Indo-Pacific will be high on the agenda.”
“There are issues on which we can cooperate with China and there are issues on which there are conflicts and tensions,” he said.
Biden and Xi last held talks in March, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This is one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, with ramifications beyond both countries,” Kirby said.
Asked if Biden could lift a portion of the 25% import duties put on billions of dollars of Chinese items by Trump, Kirby said there was still no choice.
“We do believe… that the tariffs that were put in place by his predecessor were poorly designed. We believe that they’ve increased costs for American families and small businesses, as well as ranchers. And that’s, you know, without actually addressing some of China’s harmful trade practices,” Kirby said.
But “I don’t have any decision to speak to with respect to tariffs by the president. He’s working this out.”