President Biden is speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday morning amid tensions between the two world powers.
The call – the fifth between Biden and Xi since Biden took office – began at 8:33 a.m. ET, the White House said.
The White House promised to provide a readout of the call afterward.
Chinese government officials have recently demanded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., cancel a planned trip to Taiwan, saying it is a betrayal of Chinese-U.S. foreign policy agreements.
The Chinese Communist Party has threatened to respond if Pelosi visits the island, which mainland China believes rightfully belongs the CCP but which Taiwan itself denies.
China’s government warned last week it would take “forceful measures” if Pelosi visited Taiwan after the Financial Times reported she would travel to the Chinese-claimed island nation next month.
CHINESE AUTHORITIES APOLOGIZE FOR COVID-19 BREAK-INS
Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, is an island nation off the coast of Asia’s mainland. Taiwan has declared itself independent of the People’s Republic of China and has claimed continuation of governance from pre-revolutionary China.
The People’s Republic of China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, the relatively narrow strip of ocean between the island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The Chinese military has frequently sent planes into the area, testing Taiwan’s air defense zone.
