Biden, Xi talk more than 2 hours at time of US-China tension

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke for more than two hours on Thursday amid rising tensions between their two nations.

The call began at 8:33 a.m. and ended at 10:50 a.m. It’s the fifth talk of their presidencies and their first since March, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Relations between the two countries have been strained by talk of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s potential trip to Taiwan. The island governs itself but China considers it part of its territory. John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters on Wednesday that it’s important that “the lines of communication with President Xi remain open.”