US President Joe Biden and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping held ‘candid’ phone talks on Thursday. According to Chinese state media Xi warned the US leader not to “play with fire” on Taiwan.
The virtual summit between the two leaders lasted two hours as China and US increasingly risk military clashes over Taiwan, which China considers an integral part of its territory.
“Those who play with fire will eventually get burned,” Xi was quoted as telling Biden in reference to Taiwan, reported Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency.
Tensions are rising over Taiwan and there are fears that Xi may launch a full scale invasion to ensure the self-ruling island obeys Beijing’s diktat.
The Chinese are overly concerned over US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s scheduled visit to the island and perceive the move to be an insult to Chinese hegemony. Washington will have to “bear the consequences” if her trip goes ahead, China warned on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Xi was quoted as telling Biden “the position of the Chinese government and people on the Taiwan issue is consistent.” “It is the firm will of the over 1.4 billion Chinese people to firmly safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
According to an Indian media outlet, The Hindustan Times, in response, Biden reassured Xi that US policy, known as “strategic ambiguity,” was unchanged – essentially favouring the status quo in Taiwan, with Washington recognizing Chinese sovereignty but opposing any enforcement, allowing the Taiwanese to retain their distinct rule.
President Joe Biden also raised US complaints over Chinese trade practices he did not discuss removing wide-ranging tariffs, a US official said.
“On the question of tariffs, President Biden explained to President Xi… core concerns with China’s unfair practices which harm American workers and harm American families, but he did not discuss any potential steps he might take,” the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“It would be wrong to believe that somehow a decision on any next steps was somehow waiting for this conversation.”
The Hindustan Times reports that according to the White House, Biden’s chief goal is to establish “guardrails” for the two superpowers. This is meant to ensure that while they sharply disagree on democracy, and are increasingly rivals on the geopolitical stage, they can avoid open conflict.