Biden reiterates his support for Taiwan’s ‘status quo’ in the face of China’s warnings

The US President Joe Bidenreaffirmed this Thursday his respect for the status quo of Taiwan in an attempt to reassure a Chinawhile its president, Xi Jinpingtook the opportunity to launch a harsh warning to Washington and ask him not to “play with fire”.

Biden and Xi had a phone call of more than two hours that White House described as “direct and honest”, while the Chinese Foreign Ministry called it “frank and insightful”.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry was the first to report the content of the conversation, the first since March and in which Xi reiterated his claims about Taiwanthat Beijing considers part of its territory.

XiIn addition, he rejected any “foreign interference” but made no mention of the possible trip to Taiwan of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the first by an American politician of that rank in 25 years after the 1997 visit of Republican Newt Gingrich. Pelosi has not yet confirmed the trip, but China has already warned that he will respond firmly to a visit he perceives as a threat. “Playing with fire will make you burn yourself,” the Foreign Ministry warned in its statement, expressing its hope that “the United States can see this clearly.”

one china

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in the conversation, Xi also claimed to Biden abide by the principle of “one china” that Beijing imposes as the basis of its ties with any country and that means that the only Chinese government that Washington must recognize is the one based in Beijing, which distances it from Taiwan’s independence aspirations. According to a senior White House official, Biden He reiterated in the call his respect for that principle that made Washington break diplomatic ties with Taipei almost half a century ago and establish them with Beijing.

In return, then, the US signed the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which commits the country to the defense of the island, although it does not make it clear whether the power would intervene in the event of a Chinese attack.