Biden, Xi to meet ‘face to face’

US President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping. Pic/AP

US President Joe Biden agreed to meet ‘face to face' with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in near future, as decided during the fifth phone call between them on Thursday, a senior White House administration official said.

The phone call comes amid heightened tensions between the geopolitical rivals with Beijing issuing warnings against US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's scheduled visit to Taiwan in August.Addressing a media briefing, House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "The two leaders had an in-depth discussion about Taiwan. President Biden reaffirmed the United States' commitment to our One China Policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances."

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Biden, not to ‘play with fire' over Taiwan. "Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this. The US should honour the one-China principle and implement the three joint communique both in word and in deed."

Xi stressed both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China and that China firmly opposes separatist moves toward "Taiwan independence". He said that the US should abide by the one-China principle, which is the political foundation for China-US relations, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry quoted Xi.

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