Biden, Xi call expected to cover Taiwan, Ukraine: US
US President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping are expected to talk on Thursday, a source familiar with the planning said, amid new tensions over Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that managing economic competition between the two countries would also be a focus of the call.
It will be the fifth call between the leaders, and comes as China has delivered heightened warnings to the Biden administration about a possible visit by US House speaker Nancy Pelosi to democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
“Everything from the tensions over Taiwan, to the war in Ukraine, as well as how we better manage competition between our two nations, certainly in the economic sphere,” Kirby said of the topics to be discussed.
“This is a call that has been scheduled for a long time and there’s already a pretty robust agenda of things for these two leaders to talk about,” he said.
Under its one-China policy, the United States does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
The White House has been quick to reiterate that stance has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by the House speaker.
Kirby said that Pelosi is in the line of succession to the presidency and as such, her overseas travel was a matter of US national security. But only she could make decisions about her travel.
“Bellicosity” in rhetoric from China over the possible trip only escalates tensions, he said. “We find that unhelpful and certainly not in the least bit necessary given the situation,” he said.
The administration has been debating whether to lift some tariffs on Chinese goods as a way to boost the U.S. economy, but Kirby said a decision was not expected ahead of the call.
The call comes as the US Congress considers legislation known as the CHIPs act to provide about $52 billion in subsidies for the US semiconductor industry, as well as an investment tax credit for chip plants estimated to be worth $24 billion, which Biden has urged as crucial for competing with China economically.
China warned on Wednesday that Washington would “bear the consequences” if US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan, with tensions soaring ahead of an expected phone call between the two countries’ leaders.
“We are firmly opposed to speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday. “If the US pushes ahead and challenges China’s bottom line... the US side will bear all the consequences.”