UPDATE - Biden, China's Xi conclude telephone call amid soaring Taiwan tensions

ADDS DETAILS THROUGHOUT

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, concluded a much-anticipated telephone call Thursday that was expected to address a series of issues straining US-Sino relations.

The call is the fifth between the two leaders since Biden assumed office in January 2021 and comes amid exceptionally strained relations regarding Taiwan, the self-governing island China views as a breakaway province and which it has vowed to reunify, by force if necessary.

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is widely expected to visit the island soon as China warned that it will impose unspecified "serious consequences" if she follows through with her plans. But Pelosi would not be the first House speaker to visit Taiwan. Newt Gingrich did it in 1997.

Other members of Congress may accompany Pelosi on her potential trip, which is being billed as a display of support for Taipei.

Taiwan has maintained its independence since 1949 and enjoys diplomatic relations with at least 14 countries.

Interactions between Washington and Taipei have grown significantly since the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, with former and sitting lawmakers making trips to the island home to more than 25 million people.

The US formally recognized China in 1979 and shifted diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing, including Taiwan as part of mainland China under Washington’s One China policy.

Aside from Taiwan, Biden was expected to address China's actions in the wider Indo-Pacific region, disputes in the US-Sino economic relationship, including US tariffs and the war in Ukraine, according to the White House.

"This is about keeping the lines of communication open with the President of China -- one of the most consequential bilateral relationships that we have not just in that region, but around the world, because it touches so much," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday.

The White House has yet to provide a readout of the conversation.