- China's Xi delivered a fresh warning to Biden as the two leaders held their fifth call on Thursday.
- An official statement on the call said that Xi warned Biden not to "play with fire."
- Tensions between the two countries have increased in recent months over Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a fresh warning to President Joe Biden over Taiwan as tensions continue to mount between the two countries, according to a statement run by Chinese state media and Chinese diplomatic outposts.
A statement posted on the website of the Chinese embassy in the US said that the two leaders — who held their fifth call on Thursday — discussed Taiwan, the self-ruled democratic island at the center of strained US-China relations.
"The position of the Chinese government and people on the Taiwan question is consistent, and resolutely safeguarding China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people," China said in the statement.
"Public opinion cannot be defied. Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this," the statement said.
Tensions between the US and China have increased in recent months over Taiwan, which Beijing has long claimed as its own and has signaled that it is willing to use force to subdue. China on Thursday said Xi "firmly opposes" Taiwan's independence and any "interference by external forces."
Currently elevating tensions is a potential trip to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — a tentative move that has sparked Chinese threats of possible military action and plans for the movement of US military assets. The US Navy has moved an aircraft carrier and its strike group escorts into the South China Sea.
Senior Pentagon officials have warned in recent weeks that Chinese military behavior around the South China Sea and elsewhere in the region has becoming increasingly "dangerous" and "unsafe," warning of the potential for a "major incident or accident."
The White House released its own statement on the call between Biden and Xi, noting that "the two presidents discussed a range of issues important to the bilateral relationship and other regional and global issues."
"On Taiwan," it read, "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."
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
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