Xi asked US to prevent Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

Joe Biden, US President and Xi Jinping, China president. Pic/AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping asked his US counterpart Joe Biden, during last month's phone conversation, to prevent US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from visiting Taiwan, The Washington Post reported on Saturday citing White House officials.

But Xi's concern was rebuffed and he was warned against Beijing's "provocative" actions if the visit were to take place, the report added. The US President told his Chinese counterpart that he "could not oblige" as the US Congress is an independent branch of government and that Pelosi would make her own decisions about foreign trips, the newspaper said.

Biden also warned his Chinese counterpart against taking "provocative and coercive" actions if the US House speaker's visit were to take place.

"Members of Congress have gone to Taiwan for decades and will continue to do so. Speaker Pelosi had every right to go and her visit is consistent with our long-standing one-China policy," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

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