“Those who play with fire end up being burned,” the Chinese president told his American counterpart, who replied that the United States’ position on Taiwan “has not changed.”
Xi Jinping and Joe Biden had a two-hour “sincere and thorough” talk Thursday (July 28), during which the Chinese president warned his American counterpart not to “play with fire” on Taiwan, according to a Chinese media report state . “Those who play with fire end up being burned,” Xi told Biden, as quoted by the Xinhua News Agency. “I hope the US side fully understands this,” he added. According to the White House, Joe Biden retaliated that the American position on Taiwan “has not changed,” before adding that “the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change status or threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” , the US executive said in a statement.
More than two hours of maintenance
The White House said the phone call, the fifth virtual meeting between the two officials since Joe Biden became president a year and a half ago, began at 8:33 a.m. local time (3:33 p.m. in France) and lasted for more than two a.m.’ . Beijing and Washington were already at odds over the trade. The two world powers are now at odds over Taiwan. China regards the island of 24 million people as one of its historic provinces, which it has yet to reunite with the rest of the country. Beijing opposes any initiative that would give international legitimacy to the Taiwanese authorities, and Beijing opposes any official contact between Taiwan and other states, and thus a possible visit by Nancy Pelosi.
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White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said before the conference call that “tensions over China’s aggressive and coercive behavior in the Indo-Pacific region” would be on the agenda — a term used particularly by the United States, which is concerned to denote the changing reality of alliances in the Asia-Pacific region. Though US officials visit Taiwan frequently, Beijing regards a trip by Nancy Pelosi, one of the US state’s top figures, as a major provocation. Washington will have to face “all the consequences” of this possible visit, which Nancy Pelosi has not yet confirmed, Beijing warned on Wednesday. Gen. Mark Milley, the US chief of staff, told reporters that if Nancy Pelosi requests “military assistance,” he will “do whatever is necessary to ensure the safe conduct” of his affairs.
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“Guardian”
The tensions surrounding this trip are only part of the problem. US officials fear President Xi is considering using force to impose control on Taiwan. Once considered unlikely, an invasion or some other form of military action is increasingly being considered a possibility by observers.
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Joe Biden’s conflicting statements on Taiwan — he said in May the US would defend the island before the White House insisted the policy of “strategic ambiguity” hadn’t changed — didn’t help. Although the US President is proud of his close relationship with Xi Jinping, the two have not seen each other in person since he took office, mainly due to Covid restrictions.
According to the White House, Joe Biden’s primary goal was to create “safeguards” for the two superpowers to avoid open conflict despite their differences and geopolitical rivalry. Joe Biden wanted to “ensure” that “lines of communication are open with President Xi on all issues, whether they are issues on which we agree or issues on which we have significant difficulty,” she always said be able to pick up the phone and talk openly with each other,” said John Kirby.
Asked whether Joe Biden might waive some of the 25 percent tariffs ex-President Donald Trump has imposed on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, the spokesman said a decision has yet to be made. “We believe (…) that the tariffs introduced by his predecessor were poorly designed. We believe they have increased costs for American families and small businesses and ranchers,” he said, also referring to “China’s harmful trade practices.” But “I have no decision to announce regarding Presidential tariffs. He’s working on it,” concluded John Kirby.
SEE ALSO — China opposes any form of exchange between the US and Taiwan