Xi warns Biden that US ‘playing with fire’ as tensions soar over Pelosi’s proposed Taiwan visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden spoke for over two hours on July 28, 2022, in a phone call meant to ease soaring bilateral tensions. A proposed trip to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has angered Beijing, which views visits by US officials and politicians as a violation of mainland China’s sovereignty over the self-ruled island. During the call, Biden reiterated that Washington’s one-China policy would not change and that the US did not support Taiwanese independence. But Biden added that he is leaving the decision about a Taiwan trip up to Pelosi. As House Speaker, Pelosi is second in line in the US presidential line of succession. If the trip reportedly planned for August goes ahead, she would be the first speaker to visit Taiwan since 1997.