The fifth conversation between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies centred on Taiwan, a longtime flashpoint exacerbated by US House Speaker Nancy Pelos’s possible visit to the island next month. Beijing has warned of a “firm and strong” response if the trip goes ahead.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping told aides to plan an in-person meeting during a Thursday call, a US official said, as both leaders staked out their positions in a simmering dispute over Taiwan.
If confirmed, it would be their first face-to-face exchange since Biden became president, and a sign that Xi plans to return to in-person diplomacy after not leaving China for more than two years due to Covid controls. The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement didn’t mention any such meeting, saying only that the two men agreed to keep up communications.
