Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned his US counterpart Joe Biden not to interfere in China’s dealings with Taiwan. The two leaders spoke in a phone call that showed no progress on trade, technology or other sore points between the two countries, including Beijing’s objections to a possible visit to the island democracy, which the mainland claims as its own territory.
Xi also warned against dividing the world’s two largest economies, according to a Chinese government summary of an unusually lengthy three-hour phone call between the leaders.
Businessmen and economists warn such a shift, driven by China’s industrial policy and US technology export restrictions, could hurt the global economy by making slow innovation and increase costs.
Meanwhile, Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden are considering the possibility of a face-to-face meeting, according to a US official. Mr. Xi was invited to Indonesia in November for the Group of 20 meeting, a potential venue for a face-to-face meeting.
The Chinese government gave no indication that Xi and Biden discussed possible plans by US speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan, which the ruling Communist Party says has no right to advance. foreign relations practice.
But Mr. Xi has dismissed “intervention by outside forces” that could encourage Taiwan to try to maintain its decades-old de facto independence.
“Resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the steadfast will of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people,” the statement said. “Those who play with fire will be killed by it.”
The tough language of Mr. Xi, who often tries to appear above political disputes and makes blandly positive comments in public, shows that Chinese leaders might believe that Washington does not understand the seriousness of previous warnings about Taiwan.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war ended with Communist victory over the mainland.
They have no official relationship but are linked by trade and investment of billions of dollars. Both sides say they are one country but disagree on which government should lead the country.
A spokesman for China’s Ministry of National Defense said before the call Thursday that Washington “was not arranged for Pelosi to visit Taiwan.”
He said the military wing of the ruling party, the People’s Liberation Army, would take “strong measures to prevent any outside interference”.
Xi urged the United States to “respect the one-China principle,” the statement said, referring to Beijing’s position that the mainland and Taiwan are one country.