The United States and China clashed once more over the Taiwan issue. US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a two-hour phone conversation on the 28th (local time) to discuss current issues between the two countries. In the phone call, President Biden said, “I strongly oppose any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo that undermines the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.” Xi responded by saying, “If you play with fire, you will surely burn to death.” Although it was the fifth phone meeting between the leaders of the two countries, it is evaluated that it was in fact an ’empty-handed meeting’ in which only differences of opinion were reconfirmed on various issues.
○ Another mention of “playing with fire”
“The United States strongly opposes any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo that undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” President Joe Biden said in a phone call with President Xi on the same day, according to the White House. It is a warning that we will not neglect the possibility of armed action, such as the scenario of China’s invasion of Taiwan raised by some.
Xi strongly countered this with the word ‘playing with fire’. “We resolutely oppose Taiwan’s independence, division, and interference from outside forces,” he said. He then emphasized, “If you play with fire, you will surely burn to death.” Xi also used the term “playing with fire” at the video summit he held with President Biden in November last year. The summit between the two leaders lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes.
The two leaders did not discuss the issue of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which has recently heightened tensions between the two countries. House Speaker Pelosi, who will be on a tour of Asia from the 29th, has shown his will to go ahead, requesting the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and others to accompany him to Taiwan. China expressed its discomfort and even hinted at the possibility of a military response. In the United States on this issue, there is a strong confrontation between prudence and the hardline theory that ‘we must not back down from China’s opposition’. It is known that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is listed as ‘provisional’ according to his itinerary.
○ Different positions on economic issues
The leaders of the United States and China confronted each other with differences in their viewpoints on economic issues between the two countries. President Biden is said to have expressed his concern over the U.S. tariffs on China as “China’s unfair economic practices that adversely affect American workers and families.” However, a White House official did not directly discuss whether to cut tariffs on China.
It is known that they exchanged opinions on the semiconductor and high-tech support bill passed by the US Congress on the same day. “China and the US must maintain communication on important issues such as macroeconomic policies to safeguard global supply chain stability,” Xi said. They also discussed the need to participate in Russian sanctions in relation to the Ukraine war, but they seem to have confirmed only a difference of opinion.
The two leaders agreed to hold face-to-face meetings in the future and to coordinate specific schedules.
The two leaders have held five phone calls and video conferences since Biden took office early last year, but have never met in person.
Reporter Kim Rian knra@hankyung.com
