Presidents Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak Thursday, according to a U.S. official. It's their first conversation in four months coming amid new tension between Washington and Beijing over China's claims on Taiwan.
The speaker has declined to comment on whether she plans to visit Taiwan, citing security protocol on her travel. But she said Biden’s comment stemmed from military brass being “afraid our plane would get shot down, or something like that, by the Chinese.” She would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as House speaker.
Chinese officials aren’t mincing words, sending a message that a visit by Pelosi would be viewed as a change in U.S. policy and treated as a provocation. The talks between Biden and Xi could also include discussion of North Korea’s nuclear program, differences between Beijing and Washington over Russia’s war in Ukraine, efforts by the Biden administration to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the status of the U.S. administration’s review of tough tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday he fears that Beijing might be gleaning some “concerning” takeaways from the five-month-old war in eastern Europe. But he suggested the moment has also led to careful reflection in Taipei.
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