the president of USA, Joe Bidenand the dictator Chinese, Xi Jinpinglargely managed to avoid escalating tensions over Taiwan in a call on Thursday, suggesting that neither side wants a new crisis on the island.
“My feeling is that the two leaders, talking directly, probably lowered the temperature,” Jacob Stokes, an Indo-Pacific security fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told a news conference.
Still, Xi once again warned Biden about “playing with fire” over Taiwan. Other topics were also covered at the two-hour-plus meeting, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and areas of possible US-China cooperation, such as climate change.
