Biden, Xi hold talks ranging from Ukraine to the Pacific

Call precedes China visits for Yellen, Blinken

WASHINGTON — President Biden spoke with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, in a call Tuesday morning that was aimed at addressing a variety of combative and cooperative issues, as the United States grapples with wars and other global crises, US and Chinese officials said.

The topics raised by Biden included fighting narcotics production, the Middle East conflict, North Korea’s nuclear program, and China’s support of Russia during the Ukraine war, according to a White House summary of the call.

Biden intended the talk to be a “check-in” rather than a discussion with concrete outcomes, said a senior administration official, who spoke to a small group of reporters on the condition of anonymity, as is customary for such Washington briefings. But it was a crucial marker during a pivotal political year and as the countries try to steady a relationship that hit a multi-decade low last year.

The call took place days before a trip to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who will be followed soon afterward by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the official said. Those would be the first visits to China by Cabinet members this year; both officials traveled to Beijing last year to stabilize relations after tempers flared during the Chinese spy balloon episode.

Since last summer, Biden and Xi have sought to prevent any eruptions between their nations. Biden is seeking to focus on his tight race for reelection this year. Xi is grappling with a range of domestic issues, including a troubled economy and corruption in the top ranks of his military.

Biden and Xi held a face-toface summit in November at a lush estate in Woodside, outside San Francisco. The two also met in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia — their first in-person summit as national leaders — and had their last call in July 2022.

The senior US official told reporters that the call Tuesday was part of US efforts toward the modest goals of maintaining contact and managing competition “responsibly.”

Biden raised two issues over China’s aggression in the Pacific: Taiwan and the South China Sea, according to the White House summary.

The Biden administration has warned China to rein in its coast guard ships, which have been firing water cannons at Philippine resupply ships in a contested area of the South China Sea. And the United States has said the Chinese military is using jets and ships in a provocative manner near Taiwan, the de facto independent island whose status is the biggest flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.

However, Biden reiterated to Xi that the United States abides by its “One China” policy, which recognizes the mainland People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China — while saying nothing about Taiwan’s status.

During the call, Xi “stressed that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations,” according to a description of the call released by the Chinese government. Xi called for “concrete actions” from the United States to demonstrate a commitment not to support Taiwan’s independence, the description said.

Like previous Chinese leaders, Xi has said Taiwan must be brought under Communist Party rule, by force if necessary. Biden has said four times that US troops will defend Taiwan if China tries to invade. Those remarks were a deviation from the decadeslong efforts by the US government to leave ambiguous whether the US military would defend Taiwan from a Chinese assault.

Joseph Wu, the foreign minister of Taiwan, said in an interview with The New York Times in Taipei on Thursday that China had steadily increased its military activity around Taiwan, as well as its cyberespionage efforts and promotion of online disinformation, all amounting to “gray zone” aggressions short of a full war. “We need the US to work closer with Taiwan,” he said.

In the call, Xi also criticized the “endless stream of measures” taken by the United States to try to suppress China’s economy, science, and technology, the Chinese government’s summary said. Biden has imposed limits on the export of advanced semiconductors to China.

Biden told Xi that his government “will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced US technologies from being used to undermine our national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment” and criticized China’s “unfair trade policies,” according to the White House summary of the call.

The senior US official said Biden wanted to stress to Xi that China must not continue helping Russia rebuild its military-industrial base. Russian arms production has been robust despite economic sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries after President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The steady production of ammunition and missiles — as well as weapons aid from North Korea and Iran — is helping Russia in Ukraine.