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| Photo Credit: AP. |
US President Joe Biden and his Chinese Counterpart President Xi Jinping will hold talks Thursday amid row over Taiwan, The Associated Press quoted a U.S official as saying.
Growing
tension over visits by U.S. officials and more importantly, a planned visit by
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has strained relations between the two countries.
The talks
between the two leaders could include discussion of North Korea’s nuclear
program, differences between Beijing and Washington over Russia’s war in
Ukraine, efforts by the Biden administration to revive the Iran nuclear deal
and the status of the U.S. administration’s review of tough tariffs imposed on
China by the Trump administration, according to The Associated Press.
“There are
issues of tension in this relationship,” John Kirby, a national security
spokesperson for the White House, said Tuesday, according to The Associated
Press. “But there’s also issues where we believe cooperation is not only
possible, but mandatory, for instance on climate change, which affects us
greatly.”
China warns U.S. of "consequences" over Pelosi's visit to Taiwan
Last week China
warned the United States of “consequences” if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi goes
ahead with an alleged plan to visit Taiwan, an Island claimed by Beijing under
its one China policy.
Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian cautioned Pelosi on Tuesday against
going ahead with possible plans to visit Taiwan following a report from the
Financial Times which claimed the California Democrat was planning to visit the
island in August, Newsweek reported. In 1997 former Speaker of the House Newt
Gingrich visited the disputed Island.
"We
firmly oppose any form of official interaction between the U.S. and the Taiwan
region," Zhao said during his daily press briefing on Tuesday, according
to Newsweek. "If Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, it would seriously violate
the one China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint
communiqués and harm China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"The
U.S. must not arrange for Speaker Pelosi to visit the Taiwan region and must
stop official interactions with Taiwan," he added. "Should the U.S.
side insist on doing otherwise, China will take strong and resolute measures to
safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The U.S. must assume full
responsibility for any ensuing consequences."
Beijing will take "forceful measures" if Pelosi Visits Taiwan
Beijing is
warning that it will take “forceful measures” should Pelosi visit the
self-ruled island of Taiwan that China claims as part of its territory.
Pelosi has
not confirmed whether or not she was visiting the Island but Biden told
reporters last week that U.S. military officials believed it was “not a good
idea” for the speaker to visit the island at the moment, according to The
Associated Press.
Speaker Pelosi
said Biden’s comment stemmed from military brass being “afraid our plane would
get shot down, or something like that, by the Chinese,” according to The
Associated Press.
“It’s
important for us to show support for Taiwan,” Pelosi said. “None of us have
ever said we’re for independence when it comes to Taiwan. That’s up to Taiwan
to decide.”