White House: US and Chinese presidents made phone call
The White House
announced that a telephone conversation between US President Joe Biden
and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping began today at 15:33 Moscow time.
The communication
- comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between the United States
- and China over Taiwan and a heated trade dispute
- betweenthe world's two largest economies.
A statement on the details of
the call has yet to be issued :
- but White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby
- said earlier that Biden was expected to confirm in this conversation that
- there was no change to the US "one China" policy.
The call also comes as U.S.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to visit Taiwan, which is backed by Washington and considered part of its territory by Beijing, in turn warning China's Defense Ministry about the implications of the visit.
China warns
Washington over Pelosi's upcoming visit to Taiwan
Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Tan Keefe said on Tuesday "The Chinese military will not stand idly by if U.S.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan
and will take decisive action to curb external interference."
China called on the United States to actually fulfil
its promise not to support "Taiwan independence"
and also not to organize Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.
But if the United States
side continues to act in its own way, the Chinese military will not stand by and take all measures to stop external interference and secessionist attempts to separate Taiwan, and to stand firm for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State. "
Pelosi was the third most important figure
in the United States Government, and her visit to Taiwan seriously violated the"one China" principle and the three common data items between
China and the United States.
- He noted that this would "cause significant damage to
- the military relations between China and the United States
- and exacerbate the situation in the Taiwan Strait".
Earlier
the Financial Times reported that China had issued particularly stronger warnings against the administration of US President Joe Biden over Speaker Nancy Pelosi's upcoming visit to Taiwan. According to experts, China's own statements
have now gone beyond the threat of "strong action
indicating a possible military response.
Earlier
Biden said Pelosi's planned trip to
Taiwan did not seem like a good idea right now.
The visit
which
according to experts
will inevitably spark protests from Beijing, was reportedly the first visit to the island since 1997 by the President of the United States House of Representatives. Due to take place last April, official sources later reported that Pelosi had contracted the coronavirus, and the visit was postponed indefinitely.
