The presidents of the United States and China, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, held a conversation on Tuesday, the fifth since both coincided in power, at a time of maximum tension between the two countries, marked above all by the trip of Nancy Pelosi, head of the House of Representatives and third in the scale of power in the US, to the island of Taiwan.
This matter was one more of the grievances that both presidents faced in their telephone call. According to the White House, the priority objective was “to keep the lines of communication open with the president of China.” And although the Biden administration has not commented on the matter, Chinese media claim that Xi Jinping warned the US president not to “play with fire” with Taiwan.
The spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, remarked that “this is one of the most important bilateral relations we have, not only in the region but in the world, because it affects us a lot.”
He stressed that there are numerous issues in which there is cooperation with China and many others that “cause friction and tension.”
The list of US grievances includes Chinese coercion in the Indo-Pacific area, economic tension (an issue in which they talked about lifting tariffs on Chinese exports), support for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine or the challenge of Beijing in the South China Sea, where the Xi regime “makes excessive maritime claims” and imposes “aggressive conduct” towards bordering nations.
But the hottest issue is Taiwan and Pelosi’s forecast to travel there this August. It all points out that Xi sent the threat from him in case that trip takes place. The Biden administration is trying to convince her ally to drop her idea.
The Pentagon has provided Pelosi with all the information about the difficulties this trip entails, including the provocation it represents. Military officials do not believe that the Chinese would risk shooting down the plane, but believe that the slightest mistake or misunderstanding can cause a fire with unimaginable consequences.
