Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden are holding the fifth phone-call of their presidencies on Thursday against the backdrop of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi potentially planning a visit to the self-governed, but Chinese-claimed Taiwan.
China has vowed to reunite democratically-governed Taiwan with its mainland, even if it means using force.
In light of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, concerns about China turning that threat into reality are rising.
White House officials said that the call had been planned long in advance and would follow a broad agenda.
“This is about keeping the lines of communication open with the president of China, one of the most consequential bilateral relationships that we have, not just in that region, but around the world, because it touches so much,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
Leader-to-leader engagement was seen as an effective way to lessen tensions over Taiwan
What is the issue revolving around Taiwan and why is it on the agenda?
China has announced “serious repercussions” should Pelosi visit Taiwan, as this would be a dramatic symbol of support for the island and the first time a U.S. House of Representatives Speaker has traveled there for 25 years.
Pelosi is known to be a long-time critic of China and has condemned alleged human rights violations in the country.
Washington follows a “one-China” policy and recognizes Beijing instead of Taipei diplomatically, meaning that Taiwan does not have any official relations to the US. China demands that countries choose between holding formal relations with either Beijing or Taipei. However, the US also provides considerable political and military support to Taiwan while stopping short of formal diplomatic relations.
“If the US insists on going its own way and challenging China’s bottom line, it will surely be met with forceful responses,” Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters earlier this week, “All ensuing consequences shall be borne by the US.”
Biden last week told reporters that US military officials believed it was “not a good idea” for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. Kirby said the administration has been in touch with Pelosi’s office to make sure she has “all the context” she needs to make decisions about her travel.
Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told news agency Reuters that Biden and Xi needed to focus their call on de-escalation, including possible mechanisms to reduce the risk of mishaps.
What else will be discussed in the call?
It is expected that China’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be another point of discussion as the country hasn’t publicly condemned the attack until now.
Biden announced repercussions if China provided Russia with material support. But the US government has also said that this hasn’t been the case so far.
In an attempt to lessen the impact of soaring inflation on American citizens, Biden is disputing whether to lift some of the Trump-era tariffs on Chinese-manufactured goods that are still in place.
The idea of limiting the increase of oil prices from Russia as a sanction for its war on Ukraine is another issue that Biden wants to discuss with Xi.
It was Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen who first raised the idea with her Chinese counterparts earlier in the month.
China’s behavior elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific beyond Taiwan, which has been characterized as a militarization of the South China Sea, could be included on the agenda.
Other points of discussion could include China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims or its economic and political espionage.
lo/msh (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/biden-xi-holding-talks-as-concerns-over-pelosi-visiting-taiwan-grow/a-62627489?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf