Amid rising rigidity over Taiwan, Xi Jinping warns Joe Biden to not ‘play with fire’

President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held “candid” telephone talks on Thursday, with Xi warning the US chief to not “play with fire” on Taiwan, based on Chinese state media.

The digital summit lasting over two hours happened as Beijing and Washington more and more danger open battle over the self-ruling island, which China considers a part of its territory.

“Those who play with fire will eventually get burned,” Xi was quoted as telling Biden in reference to Taiwan, based on the state-run Xinhua information company — utilizing the identical language he had employed after they spoke final November.

“I hope the US side fully understand that,” Xi advised Biden.

“The position of the Chinese government and people on the Taiwan issue is consistent,'” Xi was quoted as saying. “It is the firm will of the over 1.4 billion Chinese people to firmly safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

While this was Biden’s fifth discuss with Xi since changing into president a yr and a half in the past, it is getting arduous to masks deepening distrust between the 2 international locations amid a commerce struggle and tensions over Taiwan.

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The newest flashpoint is a potential journey by Biden ally and speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to the island, which has its personal distinct democratic authorities.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had stated “tensions over China’s aggressive, coercive behavior in the Indo-Pacific” could be excessive on the agenda — utilizing the US administration’s time period for the Asia-Pacific area.

Although US officers often go to Taiwan, separated by a slender strip of water from the Chinese mainland, Beijing considers a Pelosi journey as a significant provocation. She’s second in line to the US presidency and given her place could journey with navy transport.

Washington will “bear the consequences” if the journey, which Pelosi has but to substantiate, goes forward, China warned Wednesday.

General Mark Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of workers, advised reporters that if Pelosi asks “for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe, safe conduct of their business.”

And the dispute round Pelosi is the tip of an iceberg, with US officers fearing that Xi is mulling use of pressure to impose management over democratic Taiwan.

Once thought-about unlikely, an invasion, or lesser type of navy motion, is more and more seen by China watchers as potential — maybe even timed to spice up Xi’s status when he strikes later this yr into a 3rd time period.

Biden’s contradictory feedback on whether or not the United States would defend Taiwan — he stated in May that it might, earlier than the White House insisted there was no change within the hands-off “strategic ambiguity” coverage — haven’t helped the strain.

No face-to-face

Biden prides himself on an in depth relationship with Xi going again years however — largely on account of Covid journey restrictions — the 2 have but to fulfill face-to-face since he took workplace.

According to the White House, Biden’s chief aim is to determine “guardrails” for the 2 superpowers.

This is supposed to make sure that whereas they sharply disagree on democracy, and are more and more rivals on the geopolitical stage, they will keep away from open battle.

“He wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi on all the issues, whether they’re issues again that we agree on or issues where we have significant difficulty with — that they can still pick up the phone and talk to one another candidly,” Kirby stated.

Where to put the guardrails, nonetheless, is difficult amid so many unresolved disputes, together with a simmering commerce struggle begun beneath Donald Trump’s presidency.

Asked whether or not Biden may carry among the 25 p.c import duties positioned on billions of {dollars} of Chinese merchandise by Trump, Kirby stated there was nonetheless no resolution.

“We do believe… that the tariffs that were put in place by his predecessor were poorly designed. We believe that they’ve increased costs for American families and small businesses, as well as ranchers. And that’s, you know, without actually addressing some of China’s harmful trade practices,” Kirby stated.

But “I don’t have any decision to speak to with respect to tariffs by the president. He’s working this out.”

WATCH | China warns US of penalties if US House Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan

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