'Those who play with fire, will perish': China’s Xi tells Biden on Taiwan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China's President Xi Jinping on Thursday warned his US counterpart “not to play with fire” on Taiwan, as he held with Joe Biden a "candid" phone conversation on bilateral relations.

“Those who play with fire will perish by it,” Xi told Biden regarding Taiwan, according to a statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website.

“It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this. The US should honor the one-China principle (which recognizes Beijing as the sole government of China)," Xi said, adding that “public opinion cannot be defied.”

Beijing considers Taiwan as its “breakaway province” while Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949.

Xi said the “historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question are crystal clear, and so are the fact and status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China.”

“China firmly opposes separatist moves toward ‘Taiwan independence’ and interference by external forces, and never allows any room for ‘Taiwan independence’ forces in whatever form,” the Chinese president said.

Beijing is angered by a planned visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In a briefing earlier on Thursday, Zhao Lijian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, repeated Beijing’s “firm opposition” to the potential visit.