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Xi Jinping Warns Joe Biden Against 'Playing With Fire' Over Taiwan in Call Between US, China Preside

Rejected submission by upstart at 2022-07-29 09:26:55
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upstart [soylentnews.org] writes:

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Xi Jinping warns Joe Biden against 'playing with fire' over Taiwan in call between US, China presidents - ABC News [abc.net.au]:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned his US counterpart, Joe Biden, against "playing with fire" over Taiwan, amid mounting concerns in Beijing that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may visit the Chinese-claimed island.

Key points:

  • Mr Xi stressed that China firmly opposed Taiwanese independence and the interference of external forces
  • Mr Biden said the US strongly opposed efforts to undermine peace across the Taiwan Strait
  • This was the fifth call between the two leaders

Chinese state media said Mr Xi told Mr Biden in their fifth call as leaders that the United States should abide by the "one-China principle" and stressed that China firmly opposed Taiwanese independence and the interference of external forces.

Beijing has issued escalating warnings about repercussions should Ms Pelosi visit Taiwan [abc.net.au], which says it is facing increasing Chinese military and economic threats.

A visit by the House Speaker would be a dramatic, though not unprecedented, show of US support for the island.

"Those who play with fire will only get burnt," Chinese state media quoted Mr Xi as telling Mr Biden.

"[We] hope the US side can see this clearly."

China has given few clues to specific responses it might make if Ms Pelosi, a long-time critic of Beijing, particularly on human rights issues, makes the trip.

The White House said during the two-hour phone call, the leaders "discussed a range of issues important to the bilateral relationship and other regional and global issues, and tasked their teams to continue following up on the conversation, in particular to address climate change and health security".

They also said Mr Biden had told Mr Xi that US policy on Taiwan had not changed, and the United States strongly opposed unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

At its core though, US officials said they saw the exchange as another chance to manage competition between the world's two largest economies, whose ties have been increasingly clouded by tensions over democratically governed Taiwan, which Mr Xi has vowed to reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Washington does not have official relations with Taiwan and follows a "one-China policy" that recognises Beijing, not Taipei, diplomatically.

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But it is obliged by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself, and pressure has been mounting in Congress for more explicit support.

Following the call, Taiwan thanked Mr Biden for his support and said it would continue to deepen its security partnership with the United States, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

'Keeping the lines of communication open'

A senior US official said Mr Biden and Mr Xi had discussed the possibility of holding a first face-to-face meeting as leaders and directed their teams to look into this.

"This is about keeping the lines of communication open with the President of China, one of the most consequential bilateral relationships that we have, not just in that region, but around the world, because it touches so much," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters ahead of the call.

One person briefed on the planning for the call said the Biden administration believed leader-to-leader engagement was the best way to lower tensions over Taiwan.

Some analysts believe Mr Xi also has an interest in avoiding escalation as he seeks an unprecedented third term in office at a congress of China's ruling Communist Party later this year.

When Mr Biden last spoke to Mr Xi in March, he warned of "consequences" if Beijing provided material support for Russia's war in Ukraine

The US government does not believe that red line has been crossed in the months since.

Pelosi's potential visit a hot topic

Taiwan has complained over the past two years of increased Chinese military manoeuvres designed to force Taipei to accept Beijing's sovereignty.

Just ahead of Thursday's call between Mr Xi and Mr Biden, Taiwan's military said it fired flares to warn away a drone that "glanced by" a strategically located and heavily fortified island close to the Chinese coast and was possibly probing its defences.

The White House has reiterated that its "one China" policy has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by Ms Pelosi, which the Speaker has yet to confirm.

Some analysts worry that such a visit at a time of fraught US ties with Beijing could spur a major crisis and even unintended clashes.

Scott Kennedy, a China analyst at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said leader-level contacts were essential to preventing this.

"One hopes they've done enough to avoid a collision in the near term, but it's clear there needs to be much more frequent and in-depth communication," he said.

The last time a speaker of the US House visited Taiwan was in 1997, and as a co-equal branch of government, the US executive has little control over congressional travel.

China has grown more powerful militarily and economically since, and some analysts worry such a visit at a time of fraught ties could spur a crisis across the 160 kilometre-wide Taiwan Strait waterway separating China and Taiwan.

Mr Kirby said the administration had been in touch with Ms Pelosi's office to make sure she had "all the context" she needed to make decisions about her travel.

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Reuters

Reuters

Reuters

Posted , updated Fri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amShare

More on:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned his US counterpart, Joe Biden, against "playing with fire" over Taiwan, amid mounting concerns in Beijing that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may visit the Chinese-claimed island.

Key points:

  • Mr Xi stressed that China firmly opposed Taiwanese independence and the interference of external forces
  • Mr Biden said the US strongly opposed efforts to undermine peace across the Taiwan Strait
  • This was the fifth call between the two leaders

Chinese state media said Mr Xi told Mr Biden in their fifth call as leaders that the United States should abide by the "one-China principle" and stressed that China firmly opposed Taiwanese independence and the interference of external forces.

Beijing has issued escalating warnings about repercussions should Ms Pelosi visit Taiwan [abc.net.au], which says it is facing increasing Chinese military and economic threats.

A visit by the House Speaker would be a dramatic, though not unprecedented, show of US support for the island.

"Those who play with fire will only get burnt," Chinese state media quoted Mr Xi as telling Mr Biden.

"[We] hope the US side can see this clearly."

China has given few clues to specific responses it might make if Ms Pelosi, a long-time critic of Beijing, particularly on human rights issues, makes the trip.

The White House said during the two-hour phone call, the leaders "discussed a range of issues important to the bilateral relationship and other regional and global issues, and tasked their teams to continue following up on the conversation, in particular to address climate change and health security".

They also said Mr Biden had told Mr Xi that US policy on Taiwan had not changed, and the United States strongly opposed unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

At its core though, US officials said they saw the exchange as another chance to manage competition between the world's two largest economies, whose ties have been increasingly clouded by tensions over democratically governed Taiwan, which Mr Xi has vowed to reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Washington does not have official relations with Taiwan and follows a "one-China policy" that recognises Beijing, not Taipei, diplomatically.

Loading

But it is obliged by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself, and pressure has been mounting in Congress for more explicit support.

Following the call, Taiwan thanked Mr Biden for his support and said it would continue to deepen its security partnership with the United States, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

'Keeping the lines of communication open'

A senior US official said Mr Biden and Mr Xi had discussed the possibility of holding a first face-to-face meeting as leaders and directed their teams to look into this.

"This is about keeping the lines of communication open with the President of China, one of the most consequential bilateral relationships that we have, not just in that region, but around the world, because it touches so much," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters ahead of the call.

One person briefed on the planning for the call said the Biden administration believed leader-to-leader engagement was the best way to lower tensions over Taiwan.

Some analysts believe Mr Xi also has an interest in avoiding escalation as he seeks an unprecedented third term in office at a congress of China's ruling Communist Party later this year.

When Mr Biden last spoke to Mr Xi in March, he warned of "consequences" if Beijing provided material support for Russia's war in Ukraine

The US government does not believe that red line has been crossed in the months since.

Pelosi's potential visit a hot topic

Taiwan has complained over the past two years of increased Chinese military manoeuvres designed to force Taipei to accept Beijing's sovereignty.

Just ahead of Thursday's call between Mr Xi and Mr Biden, Taiwan's military said it fired flares to warn away a drone that "glanced by" a strategically located and heavily fortified island close to the Chinese coast and was possibly probing its defences.

The White House has reiterated that its "one China" policy has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by Ms Pelosi, which the Speaker has yet to confirm.

Some analysts worry that such a visit at a time of fraught US ties with Beijing could spur a major crisis and even unintended clashes.

Scott Kennedy, a China analyst at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said leader-level contacts were essential to preventing this.

"One hopes they've done enough to avoid a collision in the near term, but it's clear there needs to be much more frequent and in-depth communication," he said.

The last time a speaker of the US House visited Taiwan was in 1997, and as a co-equal branch of government, the US executive has little control over congressional travel.

China has grown more powerful militarily and economically since, and some analysts worry such a visit at a time of fraught ties could spur a crisis across the 160 kilometre-wide Taiwan Strait waterway separating China and Taiwan.

Mr Kirby said the administration had been in touch with Ms Pelosi's office to make sure she had "all the context" she needed to make decisions about her travel.

Loading

Reuters

Reuters

Reuters

Posted , updated Fri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amFri 29 Jul 2022 at 1:56amShare

More on:

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