WASHINGTON — A congressional trip to Taiwan led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., became the focus of President Joe Biden's call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, further underscoring the latest U.S.-China rift that has sent relations to their lowest point in decades.
President Biden used his fifth phone call with Xi since taking office to try to manage the rancor over Pelosi's planned visit along with a list of tension points that have strained U.S.-China relations, including Beijing's refusal to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as economic competition, security and human rights.
The nearly 21/2-hour call included a "direct and honest discussion" about Taiwan in which Biden emphasized that the two countries have managed differences over the democratically self-governing island for the last 40 years, and vowed that the U.S. would continue to maintain the status quo under Washington's "one-China" policy, according to a White House official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
