WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Topics for an upcoming phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to include tensions over Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said on Tuesday.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, in a briefing for reporters, said managing the competition between the two countries is also expected to come up in the call, which Biden said on Monday is expected later this week. It will be the fifth call between the two leaders.
Kirby said a decision by Biden on whether or not to lift trade tariffs on Chinese goods is not expected ahead of the call. Biden and his team have been debating whether to lift some of the tariffs as a way to boost the U.S. economy.
As a result, he said, he doubted tariffs would be a major topic during the call.
Kirby said there are “issues of tension in this relationship” but also areas where cooperation is possible, such as on climate change.
Biden wants to make sure the lines of communication remain open with the Chinese, he said.
(Reporting By Steve Holland, Michael Martina and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita Choy)
