Beden and Xi speak on the phone for more than two hours
(4 years ago)American President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation that lasted more than two hours, where they talked about the future of complex relations between the two countries. This is the fifth telephone conversation between the two leaders and focused tensions over Taiwan. The call began at 8:33 of [...]
This is the fifth telephone conversation between the two leaders and focused tensions over Taiwan.
The call began at 8:33 in the morning, with local time in America and ended at 10:50, according to the White House.
The two presidents “discussed a series of important issues for bilateral relations and other regional and global issues”, the White House said in a statement.
The statement reportedly underlined that the United States' policy on Taiwan has not changed, adding that the US “strongly oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability along Taiwan's Bay”.
Various views on global health, economic policies and human rights have long tested relations between the two countries.
China's refusal to condemn Ukraine's Russian invasion has strained reports.
The conversation comes at a time when China has increased warnings for the Beden administration about a possible visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
This island that governs itself, Beijing considers its territory.
Beijing has said it would view this visit as a provocation -- a threat that American officials are taking seriously increased in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“If the U.S. insists on following its own path and challenging China's limits, it will surely face strong response”, Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said earlier this week.
Pelosi would become the highest-ranking U.S. lawmaker to visit this island, after its predecessor, Nate Gingrich, who acted the same 25 years ago.
Beden told reporters last week that US military officials believed it was not good “ ” that the visit be carried out now.
White House spokesman for National Security John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that it is important to have communication between the two leaders.
The president wants to make sure that communications lines with President Xi remain open because they need this”, Kirby told reporters at a White House conference. “There are issues for which we can co-operate with China, and there are issues where there are definitely friction and tension”.
Beden and Xi spoke for the last time in March, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.