Biden and Xi to talk soon; Taiwan; SMIC and BIS
In remarks this afternoon President Biden said that he may be talking to Xi Jinping in the “next ten days”. In response to a question about the reported planned trip to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now but I don’t know what the status of it is”.
The comment on Taiwan raises several questions:
Has the US been given a specific warning by the PRC about actions it will take if Pelosi goes?
Is Biden concerned a Pelosi trip will mess up any prospects of stabilizing the relationship with the PRC?
Will Speaker Pelosi change her plans? Or since she has not officially confirmed she is going can just not go and therefore it was never a thing?
If Pelosi does not now go, will Xi et al see that decision as a sign of weakness, or a sign the US is trying to stabilize the relationship, or a mix of both?
Apologies, no summaries today, ran out of time.
Thanks for reading.