Washington: US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (local time) said that he is planning to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next ten days.
“I think I’ll be talking to President Xi within the next 10 days,” Biden said in an address to reporters as he returned from a climate-related trip to Massachusetts.
Biden’s comment came at a crucial moment when both countries are dealing with tensions over the status of Taiwan.
The US President also cast doubt on a trip reportedly planned by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan next month. Biden said the US military believes it is not a good idea for Pelosi to travel to Taiwan as planned.
“The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now,” Biden said on Wednesday as quoted by the White House press pool.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang accused the US is undermining the “One China” policy through its support for Taiwan.
The long-discussed call between the two leaders, their first in four months, would come at a crucial moment given tensions over the status of Taiwan, and as the Biden administration weighs cutting import duties on goods from China to help reduce inflation pressures on American consumers.
China considers the democratically-governed island its own territory, and the issue is a constant irritant in ties between Beijing and Washington.
Biden’s administration has repeatedly spoken of its “rock-solid” commitment to the island’s security.
U.S. military vessels were conducting transits through the Taiwan Strait as recently as Tuesday, angering Beijing, which sent fighters across the strait’s median line this month following a visit to Taipei by U.S. Senator Rick Scott.
On trade, the Biden administration has been at odds with China over fulfilling its commitments to existing agreements.
