WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will talk on Thursday, according to a US official, their first conversation in four months amid renewed tension between Washington and Beijing over China’s claims about Taiwan.
The planned talks between the two leaders – the fifth in a series of periodic checks – have been going on for weeks. But the possibility of a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat and second in the presidential line of succession, has added new strain to a complicated relationship.
Beijing warned that it would take “strong measures” if Pelosi visited the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
The US official declined to be identified prior to the public announcement.
Pelosi has not confirmed plans to visit Taiwan, but Biden last week told reporters that US military officials believe it is not a good idea for the speaker to visit the island. Biden’s comments come after the Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi had planned to visit Taiwan in August, a trip she had originally planned to make in April but was postponed after She tested positive for Covid-19.
The speaker declined to comment on whether she plans to visit Taiwan, citing security protocols for her travel. But she said Mr Biden’s comments stemmed from the military’s “fear of our plane being shot down, or something like that, by the Chinese.” She will be the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as Speaker of the House.
The planned talks between the two leaders – the fifth in a series of periodic checks – have been going on for weeks. But the possibility of a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat and second in the presidential line of succession, has added new strain to a complicated relationship.
Beijing warned that it would take “strong measures” if Pelosi visited the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
The US official declined to be identified prior to the public announcement.
Pelosi has not confirmed plans to visit Taiwan, but Biden last week told reporters that US military officials believe it is not a good idea for the speaker to visit the island. Biden’s comments come after the Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi had planned to visit Taiwan in August, a trip she had originally planned to make in April but was postponed after She tested positive for Covid-19.
The speaker declined to comment on whether she plans to visit Taiwan, citing security protocols for her travel. But she said Mr Biden’s comments stemmed from the military’s “fear of our plane being shot down, or something like that, by the Chinese.” She will be the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as Speaker of the House.
