Joe Biden speaks with Xi as US-China tensions escalate

Bloomberg

US President Joe Biden told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he doesn’t support a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan in the first conversation between the two leaders since March, the Beijing government said.
Xi told Biden that it’s the will of the Chinese people to “resolutely safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity” regarding Taiwan and that “whoever plays with fire will get burnt,” according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, repeating a warning he’s used in past calls with the US president.
Biden reiterated support for the US “One China” policy, which recognizes only Beijing as the government of China and not Taipei. The foreign ministry’s statement pointedly did not call the conversation “constructive,” a term it has used after previous calls between the men.
Tensions between the US and China over Taiwan have recently been exacerbated by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible plans to visit the island next month. The prospect, which Pelosi has not confirmed, has elicited warnings of a “firm and strong” response from China.
Thursday’s discussion was the fifth time Biden and Xi have spoken since the US president took office. It lasted about 2 hours and 20 minutes, according to the White House, which described the call as intended to keep relations stable despite rising tensions over Taiwan and the war in Ukraine. US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said in June that relations with Beijing have deteriorated to probably “the lowest moment” since former President Richard Nixon’s landmark visit to China in 1972.
China views any Taiwan trip by Pelosi as a violation of the deal that helped establish ties between Washington and Beijing a half century ago, including an American promise to cease formal relations with Taipei.
Pelosi has refused to confirm her travel schedule, citing security concerns. The itinerary includes stops in Indonesia, Japan and Singapore, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday, adding that Taiwan remains off the official itinerary.
The White House hasn’t taken a public position on any Taiwan visit, saying it’s Pelosi’s decision, but Defense Department officials have privately expressed unease to the speaker and her staff. The American, Chinese and Taiwanese military are all regularly active around the island and an aircraft carrier battle group led by the USS Ronald Reagan entered the South China Sea this week as part of what the Navy said was a scheduled operation.
Wang Yang, the Communist Party’s No. 4 official, told a meeting Tuesday that “no individual and no force should underestimate the resolve, the will and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” At the same time, US lawmakers from both parties have argued that it is important that the leader of Congress show no sign of giving in to pressure from the Chinese government.