On Thursday, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden held two hours of "frank and thorough" talks. During the talks, the Chinese leader warned his American counterpart not to “play with fire” amid rising tensions over Taiwan.
Chinese state media reported this.
“He who plays with fire will eventually get burned,” Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Biden. “I hope the American side fully understands this.”
“Both presidents acknowledged their call as frank and thorough,” the news agency reported.
Biden, for his part, told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed and that Washington strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the White House said.
During the phone call, the two leaders "discussed a number of issues important to bilateral relations, as well as other regional and global issues, and instructed their teams to continue to monitor, in particular, addressing issues of climate change and health security," White said in a statement Houses.
Beijing is increasingly warning about the consequences of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
Washington has no official relations with Taiwan and pursues a “one China” policy, diplomatically recognizing Beijing rather than Taipei. But under US law they are required to provide the island with the means to defend itself, and pressure is mounting in Congress to more explicitly support Taiwan.
Earlier it was reported that the leaders of China and the United States had a fifth telephone conversation and it concerned the topic of Taiwan.
The White House said the call began at 8:33 a.m. (12 GMT) and ended at 33:10 a.m. (50 GMT).
"This is about keeping the lines of communication open with the leader of China, one of the most important bilateral relationships that we have, not just in this region but around the world," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. .
One Reuters source briefed on the call said the Biden administration believes interaction between the leaders is the best way to reduce tensions over Taiwan.
Biden also wanted to discuss climate and economic competition, the source said, as well as the idea of capping Russian oil prices.