The two-hour conversation between the two superpower leaders comes amid escalating tensions following a potential visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Following the conversation, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it thanked Biden for his support
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Joe Biden against “playing with fire” over Taiwan as the two held their fifth conversation as leaders at a time of economic and geopolitical tensions. State media in China reported that Xi told Biden that the United States must abide by the “one China principle” and emphasized that China firmly opposes Taiwan’s independence and the intervention of outside forces.
“Those who play with fire will only get burned,” Xi told Biden. “We hope the American side can see this clearly.” The White House said in a statement that Biden told Xi that US policy had not changed, “Washington firmly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” which separates the island from China.
Following the conversation, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it thanks Biden for his support and will continue to deepen its security partnership with the United States. Biden’s call, which lasted more than two hours, came as the US president tries to find new ways to work with China amid growing global competition and tensions between the two countries over human rights, global health and economic policy, among other issues.
Recently, Beijing issued strong warnings about a potential visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and announced that it would see such a visit as a provocation. The self-ruled island receives unofficial defense support from the United States, but Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and does not rule out using force to achieve its goals.