Biden to Xi Jinping: "Strongly Oppose Unilateral Attempts to Change Taiwan Issue"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the 28th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden stated in a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the Taiwan issue, "The United States strongly opposes any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo or to undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

According to the White House, during the approximately 2 hours and 17 minutes call with President Xi that morning, Biden said, "The U.S. policy has not changed." This statement came amid China's extreme backlash over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's consideration of a visit to Taiwan. According to the Chinese side, President Xi warned during the call regarding the Taiwan issue, "Playing with fire will get you burned."

The two leaders discussed not only the Taiwan issue but also bilateral relations and other international matters extensively, and mentioned follow-up consultations on climate change and health security, the White House confirmed.

The White House explained, "This call is part of efforts to maintain and develop communication channels between the U.S. and China, manage differences, and cooperate where there is mutual understanding."

This is the fifth time President Biden and President Xi have spoken by phone. The last call took place on March 18, about four months ago, lasting 1 hour and 50 minutes. At that time, discussions were held on issues such as sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and the Taiwan issue, but only differences in positions were confirmed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.