WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping could hold their fifth conversation as leaders as early as Thursday as concerns grow over a possible visit to China-claimed Taiwan by the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
White House officials said the long-planned conversation would have a broad agenda, including discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which China has not yet condemned.
At its heart, U.S. officials see the exchange as another chance to manage competition between the world’s two largest economies, whose ties have been increasingly clouded by tensions over democratically-ruled Taiwan, which Xi has vowed to reunify with the mainland, with force if necessary.
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Beijing has issued escalating warnings of consequences if Pelosi visits Taiwan, a move that would be a dramatic, though not unprecedented, show of US support for the island, which it says faces growing Chinese military and economic threats.
Washington has no formal relations with Taiwan and follows a “one China” policy that diplomatically recognizes Beijing, not Taipei. But US law is required to provide the island with the means to defend itself, and pressure in Congress for stronger support is growing.
“It’s about maintaining open lines of communication with the president of China, one of the most significant bilateral relationships we have, not only in this region but around the world because it touches so many,” the White House spokesman on the national security John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
One person briefed on the planning of the call said the Biden administration believed engagement between the leaders was the best way to reduce tensions over Taiwan.
Xi is interested in avoiding a tense confrontation with the United States as he seeks an unprecedented third term at China’s ruling Communist Party congress, expected in October or November, some analysts say.
Biden also wants to discuss issues related to climate and economic competition, the person said, as well as the idea of putting a cap on Russian oil prices to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine, an issue Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen raised with Chinese colleagues earlier in July. Read more
The Biden administration is debating whether to lift some tariffs on Chinese goods as a way to ease rising inflation, but U.S. officials said no decision was expected before the talk. Read more
When Biden last spoke to Xi in March, he warned of “consequences” if Beijing provided material support for Russia’s war, and the US government believed that red line had not been crossed in the months since.
A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry declined to confirm that the talk would take place or share details when asked about it during a regular briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
“The heads of state of China and the US maintain communication through various means,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
“China will announce information on this in due course,” he said.
TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS
The White House reiterated that its “one China” policy has not changed despite speculation about a possible trip by Pelosi, which the spokesman has yet to confirm.
The last time a speaker of the US House of Representatives visited Taiwan was in 1997, and as a co-equal branch of government the US executive branch has little control over congressional travel.
Since then, China has become more powerful militarily and economically, and some analysts worry that such a visit at a time of strained ties could spark a crisis in the 100-mile (160 km) wide Taiwan Strait waterway separating China and Taiwan.
“The relationship is in such a toxic state. Mutual distrust is indeed at an all-time high. I think people don’t realize how dangerous this particular moment is,” said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
She said Biden and Xi should focus their appeal on de-escalation, including possible mechanisms to reduce the risk of accidents.
Kirby said the administration reached out to Pelosi’s office to make sure she had “all the context” she needed to make decisions about her trip.
China has given few clues about specific responses that might be needed if Pelosi, a longtime critic of China, particularly on human rights issues, goes to Taiwan.
Martin Chorzempa, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said emphasizing the Taiwan issue could serve as a domestic distraction for Xi from China’s slowing economy, but “any reaction strong enough to trigger US sanctions, would cause enormous damage to China and the global economy.”
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Reporting by Michael Martina, Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunstrom; additional reporting by Martin Quinn Pollard in Beijing. Editing by Heather Timmons, Richard Poulin and Raju Gopalakrishnan
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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