WASHINGTON: Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will converse on Thursday, in keeping with a US official, their first dialog in 4 months coming amid new rigidity between Washington and Beijing over China’s claims on Taiwan.
The deliberate talks between the 2 leaders — the fifth in a sequence of normal check-ins — have been within the works for weeks. However the potential for a go to to Taiwan by Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency, has added recent pressure to the sophisticated relationship.
Beijing is warning that it’ll take “forceful measures” ought to Pelosi go to the self-ruled island of Taiwan that China claims as a part of its territory.
The US official declined to be recognized forward of the general public announcement.
Pelosi hasn’t confirmed plans to go to Taiwan, however Biden final week advised reporters that US army officers believed it was “not a good suggestion” for the speaker to go to the island in the mean time. Biden’s feedback got here after the Monetary Occasions reported final week that Pelosi deliberate to go to Taiwan in August, a visit she had initially deliberate to make in April however postponed after she examined optimistic for Covid-19.
The speaker has declined to touch upon whether or not she plans to go to Taiwan, citing safety protocol on her journey. However she mentioned Biden’s remark stemmed from army brass being “afraid our airplane would get shot down, or one thing like that, by the Chinese language.” She could be the highest-ranking US elected official to go to Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as Home speaker.
The deliberate talks between the 2 leaders — the fifth in a sequence of normal check-ins — have been within the works for weeks. However the potential for a go to to Taiwan by Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency, has added recent pressure to the sophisticated relationship.
Beijing is warning that it’ll take “forceful measures” ought to Pelosi go to the self-ruled island of Taiwan that China claims as a part of its territory.
The US official declined to be recognized forward of the general public announcement.
Pelosi hasn’t confirmed plans to go to Taiwan, however Biden final week advised reporters that US army officers believed it was “not a good suggestion” for the speaker to go to the island in the mean time. Biden’s feedback got here after the Monetary Occasions reported final week that Pelosi deliberate to go to Taiwan in August, a visit she had initially deliberate to make in April however postponed after she examined optimistic for Covid-19.
The speaker has declined to touch upon whether or not she plans to go to Taiwan, citing safety protocol on her journey. However she mentioned Biden’s remark stemmed from army brass being “afraid our airplane would get shot down, or one thing like that, by the Chinese language.” She could be the highest-ranking US elected official to go to Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as Home speaker.