Biden spoke to Xi – phone call lasting more than two hours

Washington China’s head of state and government Xi Jinping again warned US President Joe Biden against interfering with China’s Taiwan policy in their phone call on Thursday. “Whoever plays with fire will perish. It is to be hoped that the US sees it clearly,” said the official statement from the Chinese side, which was published almost an hour after the end of the talks.

The US side clarified: “President Biden has stressed that US policy on Taiwan has not changed and that the US is unilaterally attempting to change the status quo or promote peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” undermine clearly oppose”

The two heads of government spoke to each other for two hours and 17 minutes. It was the fifth phone call between Biden and Xi since the US President took office. The heads of state last spoke to each other in March. Biden Xi warned against supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Relations between the two great powers are strained. Biden’s China policy is not significantly different from that of his predecessor, Donald Trump. Biden also fears China as a competitor. But unlike his predecessor, Biden continues to focus on dialogue.

“The call was part of the Biden administration’s efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between the United States and the People’s Republic of China and to responsibly manage our differences and work together where our interests align,” she said US government after speaking with.

China threatens military consequences if Pelosi visits

Xi also stressed the importance of the two countries “maintaining communication at all levels and using existing channels to promote bilateral cooperation.” It is about macroeconomic decisions, the security of supply chains, and the protection of global energy and food security.

Recently, China’s aggressive response to a possible visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan has added to differences between the two countries on trade, technology, security and stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party insists that the self-governing, democratically-ruled island of Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic and is seeking “reunification.” The Chinese leadership has been questioning Taiwan’s independence for years with growing military threats in the South China Sea.

Pelosi wants to express her solidarity with the island nation when she visits in August. The US government views this with concern. She fears that the democratic politician’s visit could further deteriorate relations with China. Beijing could even close the airspace over Taiwan, they say.

>>Read here: “We have this obligation” – the USA want to defend Taiwan militarily if necessary

In fact, Chinese diplomats and military officials have threatened military action if Pelosis flies to Taipei. The Chinese military will “never stand by and will definitely take strong measures to thwart interference from an outside force,” Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry, said on Tuesday.

US urges China to distance itself from Russia

There is also potential for conflict in the Ukraine war. Beijing has not yet condemned Moscow for its attack on Ukraine and has not imposed sanctions on Russia. Instead, China has repeatedly committed itself to its “borderless partnership” with Russia.

At the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers in Bali in early July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to distance himself from Russia in view of the Ukraine war and “to condemn the aggression”. China claims to be neutral in the conflict. In fact, however, Beijing supports Moscow, Blinken explained.

In the areas of business and technology, the power struggle between the two countries has also recently come to a head. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry recently accused the United States of “tech terrorism”. Earlier, the Bloomberg news agency reported that the US was urging the Netherlands to expand its export ban on high-tech semiconductor manufacturing machinery.

The subsidy program for the semiconductor industry passed in the USA on Wednesday was also viewed critically in China. The program provides 52 billion aid for the production of microchips in the USA.

Gao Lingyun, an expert at the state-run think tank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told the state-run Global Times that the program aims to curb China’s development and maintain the US’ technological lead.

Xi also criticized the current US economic policy in the phone call. “Attempts to decouple or curtail supply chains contrary to existing laws would not help the US economy,” he said.

More: Fear of an escalation with China: Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan annoys Beijing and the US President