President Joe Biden will hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday amid renewed tensions over Taiwan, according to others familiar with the matter.
The first verbal exchange between the two presidents since March will come at an especially complicated time for U. S. -China relations: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and security officials are not ruling out visiting Taiwan in early August.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday that Beijing is preparing “seriously” for the option of Pelosi simply making a stopover on the autonomous island, which China considers part of its territory.
U. S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said in June that relations with China had likely deteriorated at the “lowest point” since the resumption of diplomatic relations in 1972. Biden, who is recovering from the coronavirus in the White House, is also lifting some tariffs. on Chinese imports to curb runaway inflation.
U. S. officials are under pressure that Xi’s call would be a continuation of the administration’s efforts to keep the lines of communication open so that the appointments don’t become an accidental conflict.
No final resolution has been made regarding a stopover on Pelosi’s Taiwan vacation to Asia next month, according to a user familiar with the details. Pelosi would be the first speaker sitting since Newt Gingrich to make a stopover on the island.
Beijing vowed without delay to take “determined and strong” action in reaction and warned of a “serious impact” on bilateral relations if Pelosi continues her trip. China also privately warned Biden’s management of an imagined military reaction, the Financial Times reported.
“All the consequences of this will be borne by the American side,” Zhao said.
Wang Yang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, told an assembly on Tuesday that “no individual or force underestimates the determination, will and ability of other Chinese to protect their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. “
He “stressed the importance of upholding the one-China principle,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.
In the United States, lawmakers from both parties encouraged Pelosi to make the trip, saying doing so in the wake of China’s protests would amount to accepting Beijing.
“If we can allow the Chinese to dictate who can stop in Taiwan and who can’t, then we’ve already ceded Taiwan to the Chinese,” said Senate President Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who made his own in Taiwan. in April. .
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday night that Pelosi “should not back down now,” that she “should make a bipartisan trip. “
Biden told reporters last week that the U. S. military is not a major player. UU. no believed that Pelosi’s vacation was a smart idea, which caused consternation in Taiwan. It’s unclear whether Pelosi, at the request of intelligence and defense officials, won’t travel.
The president provoked China in May by promising to militarily protect Taiwan. After saying U. S. policy toward Taiwan “has replaced at all” at a news conference in Tokyo, he answered “yes” when asked if the U. S. would act “militarily. “to protect the island in case of a Chinese attack.
White House officials later retracted the comment, saying the president only promised U. S. help to help Taiwan protect itself in the event of hostilities.
Traders remained calm ahead of the expected call, with the monthly implied volatility of the Taiwan dollar falling to 4. 98 on Tuesday, the lowest level since Feb. 25, to level a shock at this point,” said Stephen Chiu, head of Asia FX. and rate strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that the Biden-Xi consultation would come with a falsified agenda, though price lists are probably not among the issues.
“I don’t think this is a major topic of discussion with President Xi unless he makes a decision,” Kirby said of the post. The two men will talk about tensions over Taiwan and tactics for managing the festival between the two largest economies. , he said.
The White House has threatened Beijing with consequences if China helps Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war in Ukraine. So far, U. S. officials have said they haven’t noticed anything that amounts to support.
Biden’s aides say he’s about to remove some of the price lists that President Donald Trump imposed on about $350 billion in Chinese imports.
Some advisers have been pushing for the move to help control inflation, which is at its highest point in four decades. Others, adding industrial unions, say it would have little impact on value pressures and relinquish its influence in talks with Beijing.
Biden has continually pledged to be the top pro-union president in U. S. history. In the U. S. , and Democrats are counting on workers in November’s midterm elections that will determine whether the party maintains control of Congress.
“The president is still thinking about it,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation. “”You know, it’s a big decision. “
Xi sent Biden a note last week wishing him a recovery from Covid-19. The Chinese Communist Party is expected to hold its national rally this fall, giving Xi a third term that challenges previous ones.
—With Billy House’s