U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday reiterated to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping (???) Washington’s opposition to the unilateral changing of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

“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 White House said in a statement released after a two-hour and 17-minute call between Biden and Xi.

It was the fifth time the two leaders of the world’s top two economies spoke with each other since Biden took office in January 2021, the White House said.

The call followed the two presidents’ conversation on March 18 and a series of conversations between high-level U.S. and China officials, the White House added.

According to the White House, the Thursday conversation covered a range of issues important to the bilateral relationship and other regional and global issues, while the two presidents tasked their teams to continue following up the conversation, in particular to address climate change and health security.

In a news briefing after the statement was released, a senior administration official described the discussion on Taiwan as “direct” and “honest.”

The official said Biden reaffirmed to Xi the U.S.’ commitment to the One China Policy based on the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the Three Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances.

The official said that both leaders mentioned in their conversation that the U.S. and China have differences on the Taiwan issue and that Washington and Beijing have managed those differences for more than 40 years.

“Keeping an open line of communication on this issue is essential to doing so,” the official told reporters.

In a report published by China’s official Xinhua News Agency, Xi was quoted as telling Biden that Beijing firmly opposed “Taiwan independence” and external interference, and would never allow any room for “Taiwan independence” forces in whatever form.

Xi urged the U.S. to follow the Three Joint Communiqués and the One China principle, which he said “is the political foundation for China-U.S. relations,” according to the report.

When asked whether Biden and Xi discussed a reported visit planned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the official only said no trip from Pelosi to Taiwan has been announced yet, reiterating that it would be the speaker’s own decision.

Pelosi’s rumored trip to Taiwan was first reported on July 18 by the Financial Times, which cited six people familiar with the matter as saying that the 82-year-old Democratic lawmaker is planning to lead a delegation to Taiwan in August to show support for Taipei as it faces increasing pressure from Beijing.

Biden, however, on July 20 reacted by saying the military thought that “it’s not a good idea right now” though he also added “but I don’t know what the status of it (the trip) is.”

China has expressed its strong opposition to Pelosi’s rumored plans. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian (???) called on Washington to “stop creating tensions over the Taiwan Strait.”

In Taiwan, Joanne Ou (???), the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday expressed gratitude to the adamant support from the U.S. for Taiwan’s security, referring to Biden’s latest reaffirmation to Xi the opposition to the unilateral change of the status quo and to the undermining of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Ou said the U.S. has briefed Taiwan about the latest Biden-Xi conversation and Taipei has been grateful to the U.S. president’s reaffirmation that the ties between Taiwan and the U.S. are “rock solid” since he took office.

Ou added that Taiwan will continue to deepen a security partnership between Taipei and Washington, and jointly safeguard the international order and bolster the security across the Taiwan Strait and the peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

The TRA was enacted in 1979 to maintain commercial, cultural, and other unofficial relations between the U.S. and Taiwan after Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The TRA also requires the U.S. “to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character.”

The three communiques are a collection of joint statements signed by the U.S. and Chinese governments from 1972-1982 that played a key role in the establishment of relations between Washington and Beijing and continue to serve as an essential element in dialogue between the two countries.

The Six Assurances, which were given by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, include pledges not to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, not to hold prior consultations with China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, and not to play a mediation role between Taiwan and China.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel