Joe Biden, Xi Jinping to hold talks amid new tensions over Taiwan

Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will speak Thursday according to a US official their first conversation in four months coming amid new tension between Washington and Beijing over Chinas claims on TaiwanThe planned talks between the two leaders the fifth in a series of regular checkins have been in the works for weeks But the possibility of a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the top congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency has added fresh strain to the complicated relationshipBeijing is warning that it will take forceful measures should Pelosi visit the selfruled island of Taiwan that China claims as part of its territoryThe US official declined to be identified ahead of the public announcement The schedule was first reported by BloombergPelosi hasnt confirmed plans to visit Taiwan but Biden last week told reporters that US military officials believed it was not a good idea for the speaker to visit the island at the moment Bidens comments came after the Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi planned to visit Taiwan in August a trip she had originally planned to make in April but postponed after she tested positive for COVID19The speaker has declined to comment on whether she plans to visit Taiwan citing security protocol on her travel But she said Bidens comment stemmed from military brass being afraid our plane would get shot down or something like that by the Chineseiquest She would be the highestranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as House speakerIts important for us to show support for Taiwan Pelosi said None of us have ever said were for independence when it comes to Taiwan Thats up to Taiwan to decideAdministration officials have privately stressed to Pelosi that traveling to Taiwan could further complicate a delicate status quoChinese officials arent mincing words sending a message that a visit by Pelosi would be viewed as a change in US policy and treated as a provocationIf the US insists on going its own way China will take forceful measures to resolutely respond and counter it and we will do what we say said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang WenbinThe US has a longstanding commitment to the One China policy that recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan in recent years and there are fears that its trying to intimidate the island into accepting Beijings demands to unify with the communist mainlandThe talks between Biden and Xi could also include discussion of North Koreas nuclear program differences between Beijing and Washington over Russias war in Ukraine efforts by the Biden administration to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the status of the US administrations review of tough tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administrationThere are issues of tension in this relationship John Kirby a national security spokesperson for the White House said Tuesday But theres also issues where we believe cooperation is not only possible but mandatory for instance on climate change which affects us greatlyLongsimmering differences over Taiwan have come into intense focus in the aftermath of Russias invasion and ongoing efforts to annex swaths of eastern UkraineAs the US scrambled to assemble a global coalition to hit the Russian economy with heavy sanctions following Vladimir Putins ordered invasion of Ukraine Biden warned allies particularly those in the IndoPacific that Beijing would be watching closely how democracies responded as it considers its next steps on TaiwanWhite House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday he fears that Beijing might be gleaning some concerning takeaways from the fivemonthold war in eastern Europe But he suggested the moment has also led to careful reflection in TaipeiNot as many people ask Is Taiwan learning lessons from Ukraine and you can bet they are Sullivan said during an appearance at the Aspen Security Forum Theyre learning lessons about citizen mobilization and territorial defense Theyre learning lessons about information warfare and how to set the information space And theyre learning lessons about how to prepare for a potential contingency involving China and theyre working rapidly at thatTaiwan was a central topic during Biden and Xis last call in March about three weeks after Russia launched its invasion of UkraineChina has repeatedly threatened to assert its claim to Taiwan by force and has dispatched hundreds of sorties in Taiwanese airspace since Biden took office 18 months ago The US is legally obligated to ensure the selfgoverning island democracy can defend itself and treats threats to it with grave concernThe conversation also comes as Bidens national security and economic aides near the completion of a review of US tariff policy and prepare to make recommendations to the presidentThe tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump applied a 2537 duty on billions of dollars of Chinese products The penalties were intended to reduce the US trade deficit and force China to adopt fairer practicesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever