China again warns US against backdrop of Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against ‘interference by external forces in Taiwan question in a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday, which was held against the backdrop of a possible visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Friday repeated the tough language used by President Xi during yesterday’s talk while responding to a volley of questions including the possibility of an in-person meeting of both the leaders amid escalating tensions and whether there were any positive outcomes from the talk. Its spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “Those who play with fire will perish by it.”

The conflict over a possible visit of Pelosi to Taiwan has become a very sensitive matter for Beijing in a year when President Xi is expected to break with the tradition and capture a third five-year term as party leader and may be for life. Ahead of the Thursday talks between the two leaders, Chinese sides trumpeted up its stern warning over Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan including its Ministry of Defense spokesperson saying that the People’s Liberation Army, would take “strong measures to thwart any



external interference.” 

PLA has been repeatedly sending a large number of fighter jets near the democratically governed Taiwan to send warnings.

A readout from Chinese Foreign Ministry said that President Xi underscored the need for China and the US to maintain communication on such important issues as coordinating macroeconomic policies, keeping global industrial and supply chains stable, and protecting global energy and food security. Xi said attempts at decoupling or severing supply chains in defiance of underlying laws would not help boost the US economy.

However, the Taiwan issue - the most contentious one, dominated Thursday’s talks and Friday’s press briefing in Beijing and has emerged as a serious point of conflict. The readout did not give gave any indication of progress on trade, technology, or other issues. 

A US readout read "On Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."