Your Friday Briefing: Biden and Xi’s Fraught Phone Call
A tense call between the leaders of the U.S. and China

President Biden and President Xi Jinping of China spoke by phone for two hours and 17 minutes — their first direct conversation in four months during which relations between their countries have soured.

China and the U.S. have been at odds over Russia’s war in Ukraine, tariffs and aggressive Chinese action in the Asia-Pacific region. The future of Taiwan, a self-governing island which China covets and which Biden has said he would defend with force, has become a particularly contentious issue, especially since Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is reportedly planning to visit.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the call was productive, but issued a stern warning against what it considered American provocations, without directly mentioning Ms. Pelosi.