U.S. News
China’s Xi speaks with Biden, warns against ‘playing with fire’ over Taiwan [Video]
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a phone call Thursday with plans to meet in person.
- Xi warned the U.S. against “playing with fire” over Taiwan, noting Beijing’s concerns about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to the island.
- The White House said Biden told Xi that U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed.
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended a call 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.
Xi warned Biden against “playing with fire” over Taiwan, noting Beijing’s concerns about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to the island.
“Those who play with fire will perish by it,” China’s foreign ministry quoted Xi as telling Biden in their fifth call as leaders. “It is hoped that the U.S. will be clear-eyed about this.”
Meanwhile, Biden reiterated that the U.S. position has not changed, according to official readouts from the U.S. and Chinese governments.
“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 very much a clear, affirmative agenda that was put forward and agreed to.”
The call came during a tense period between the two countries, particularly over recent rhetoric around Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.
“That the call happened is a mild positive and shows both leaders want to maintain a floor under deteriorating bilateral ties,” Eurasia Group analysts said in a note. “Any future cessation of top-level US-China dialogue would be a negative sign for global stability.”
“Xi did not escalate China’s threats but he did appear to warn indirectly that Pelosi’s trip could inflame Chinese nationalism,” the report said.
Beijing has warned of “strong and resolute measures” if Pelosi visits Taiwan in August.
During Thursday’s call, China’s leader maintained a firm line on the consequences of support for Taiwan’s independence.
“Resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people,” Xi said during the call, according to an official English-language release from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The call — which lasted about 2 hours and 20 minutes — discussed areas of potential cooperation such as climate change and health security, the U.S. official said.
Both leaders, who last spoke in March, also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. and Chinese governments said. Beijing has refused to call Moscow’s attack on Ukraine an invasion.
The two countries described the call as “candid” and said it was requested by Biden.
Source: Reuters
CandygramForMongo
July 31, 2022 at 6:37 am
Send Peloser, let them shoot her down……make America great again!
Peter
July 31, 2022 at 1:40 pm
Amen. Put Nadler and OAC on the plane too.
max
July 31, 2022 at 8:32 am
Xi warned the U.S. against “playing with fire” over Taiwan,..
When China can tell America where we can or can’t go, it’s over as to who is the BOSS.
Now what you see is where the Commie Democrats have led us. Led America to its END as a world leader.
Good job voters!
Joe Freedom
July 31, 2022 at 1:26 pm
It wasn’t voters.. It was fraud. Wake up.
Peter
July 31, 2022 at 1:47 pm
Now you know there was no massive voter fraud. The Democrat/winners say so, and politicians and their cronies NEVER EVER LIE.
Just a lot of explainable massive miscounting. Blame it on the education system, which doesn’t teach anyone how to count or add anymore.
Peter
July 31, 2022 at 1:44 pm
Time to sell Taiwan massive air defense/ABM weapons, tons of harpoon missiles launchers for sea defense, more fighters, and especially some coastal submarines. And maybe conduct continuous air patrols 13 miles of the Chinese coast at all hours.
CPO Bill
July 31, 2022 at 8:39 am
Send him to the fires of hell with his master!
franklin archambault
July 31, 2022 at 10:47 am
Xi making threats DAH. so thank all the Americans who went to china for slave labor and now china is really the bad boy and thank Biden who helped her
Uncle Art
July 31, 2022 at 1:25 pm
And the pissing games have begun!! Will traitor Joe do as he’s told by his employer or will he try to be a man ?? We should make sure she goes because if they do what they say it would be a step in the right direction of MAGA as Trump was doing and save millions of Tax Payer Money.😁 But seriously democrap politicians don’t have a backbone. They just work for the highest bidder/payoff globalist
Ronald Mulvaney
August 1, 2022 at 7:25 pm
China’s Xi should be informed that USA’s leadership is totally different than China’s. It’s not one person, such as Xi, who speaks for all leadership in the country. USA has a division of powers: the executive, judicial, congressional and its 50 states. It’s impossible for a dictator to understand a divided leadership like ours.