President Joe Biden visited with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping on Thursday, speaking on a call for more than two hours.
The White House released a readout of the call after it was completed, saying Biden spoke with Xi about how to “responsibly manage our differences and work together where our interests align.”
There was no mention of tariffs on China’s imports or the coronavirus pandemic in the readout, but it included references to climate change and “health security.”
“The two presidents discussed a range of issues important to the bilateral relationship and other regional and global issues, and tasked their teams to continue following up on today’s conversation, in particular, to address climate change and health security,” the White House revealed.
Biden and Xi have spoken five times since Biden became president and last spoke in March.
The White House emphasized that the United States had not changed its policy on Taiwan,
“On Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the statement read.
Biden has a history of repeatedly blundering into confusing comments about possibly responding with military force if China changed its position toward the island.
The White House also released a photo of the call on the president’s social media accounts.
Today I spoke with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China as part of our efforts to deepen lines of communication, responsibly manage our differences, and address issues of mutual interest. pic.twitter.com/mwIeg35h8j
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 28, 2022
It is unclear whether the president achieved anything with the call.
Chinese state media revealed that Xi warned the president not to get involved with Taiwan, reminding him that “those who play with fire will perish by it.”
There was no mention in either readout of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned visit to Taiwan.
The White House has refused to take a position about whether or not the Speaker should make the trip, as the idea has angered Chinese officials.
