‘THOSE WHO PLAY WITH FIRE WILL PERISH BY IT’, XI WARNS BIDEN

Fri 29 July 2022:

Amid simmering economic and geopolitical tensions, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Joe Biden against “playing with fire” over Taiwan during their fifth phone.

Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted that the historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question are crystal clear.

Xi told Biden ”The fact and status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and same China.”

Not allowing any room for “Taiwan independence” forces, Xi said China firmly opposes separatist moves toward it.

“On Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” according to the White House.

With China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, differing perspectives on global health, economic policy, and human rights have long tested the relationship between the world’s two leading economies.

The call, which lasted over two hours on Thursday, came as Biden aims to find new ways to work with China amid growing global competition and tensions between the two nations over human rights, global health and economic policy, among other issues.

Today I spoke with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China as part of our efforts to deepen lines of communication, responsibly manage our differences, and address issues of mutual interest. pic.twitter.com/mwIeg35h8j

— President Biden (@POTUS) July 28, 2022

Since report of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s potential trip to Taiwan broke, China has been on the attack.

Pelosi would be the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich’s trip there in 1997.

Blaming the US for the deteriorating relationship between the two countries, Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters that “If the US insists on going its own way and challenging China’s bottom line, it will surely be met with forceful responses.”

John Kirby, a US national security spokesman, told reporters at a White House briefing “The president wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to.”

“There are issues where we can cooperate with China on, and there are issues where obviously there are friction and tension.”

“This is one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in the world today, with ramifications well beyond both individual countries,” Kirby said.

Jinping, who is seeking an unprecedented third term in office at a congress of China’s ruling Communist Party, has an interest in avoiding escalation as per analysts.

A senior Biden administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters later in the day that Biden and Xi discussed a possible face-to-face meeting during their call. The two leaders last spoke in March, shortly after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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