Friday, March 29

Xi Jinping calls on Biden to abide by the one-China principle

The president of China, Xi Jiping, has asked his American counterpart, Joe Biden, on Thursday to “abide by the principle of ‘one China'”, in a telephone conversation they had this Thursday, according to an official statement from the Foreign Ministry China. In recent days, tensions have grown between Washington and Beijing over the possible trip of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan.

During the virtual meeting, the first since the one held last March, Xi Jinping reiterated China’s opposition “to Taiwan’s independence” and “external interference”.

This week, a spokesman for the Chinese Army warned the United States that the forces of the Asian country “would not sit idly by” if the visit takes place and the Chinese Foreign Ministry has recently reiterated that China “would respond firmly”. So far, neither Nancy Pelosi nor the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs have confirmed the trip, which would take place in August, according to US media.

The call between the leaders lasted for more than two hours and the Chinese president warned Biden that “defining relations between the two countries from a competitive perspective is misleading and wrong.”

Xi has also expressed his wish that both superpowers “maintain communication on important issues such as the coordination of macroeconomic policies, the maintenance of the stability of industrial supply chains and the guarantee of global energy and food security.”

The Chinese leader has warned Biden: “The decoupling of supply chains will not contribute to boosting the US economy” and recommended that both countries “work together” to “cool down the hottest regional issues” and to “help the world get out of the COVID-19 pandemic, of stagnation and the risk of recession.”

For his part, the US president has told his Chinese counterpart that US policy toward Taiwan “has not changed” and that his government remains “strongly” opposed to any unilateral efforts to change the status quo or “undermine peace.” and stability in the Taiwan Strait” that separates China from the island, as indicated by the White House in a statement.

Xi and Biden, who have not yet met in person since the latter’s arrival at the White House, have defined their dialogue as “frank and deep” and have agreed to “maintain contact”.



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