Xi gives Biden fiery warning on Taiwan, Beijing says

WASHINGTON (AP):

President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping spent more than two hours on Thursday talking through the future of their complicated relationship, with the flashpoint of Taiwan once again emerging as a key point of tension.

According to an outline of the call released by Beijing, Xi emphasised China’s claim over the island, which has governed itself for decades.

“Those who play with fire will perish by it,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “It is hoped that the U.S. will be clear-eyed about this.”

The White House released its own description of the conversation about Taiwan, saying that 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 goal of the call, which began at 8:33 a.m. EDT and ended at 10:50 a.m. EDT, was to “responsibly manage our differences and work together where our interests align,” the White House said.

As usual, China left no doubt that it blames the U.S. for the deteriorating relationship between the two countries.

The latest pressure point has been U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan, which has a democratic government and receives informal defensive support from the U.S., but which China considers part of its territory. Beijing has said it would view such a trip as a provocation, a threat U.S. officials are taking with heightened seriousness in light of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.