GUILTY! Biden Beefed Up His Conversation With President Xi

President Joe Biden held his longest call yet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday morning amid rising tensions between the two powers.

The call, which was their fifth since Biden assumed office, started at 8:33 a.m. ET and lasted for two hours and 17 minutes, according to the White House.

Xi cautioned Biden against disobeying Beijing’s policy on Taiwan, according to a Chinese translation of the conversation.

According to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the president expressed moral concerns about forced labor and ethnic genocide in China on Thursday.

The Chinese MFA denied the alleged exchange entirely, saying, “According to White House Press Secretary, ‘genocide’ & ‘forced labor’ came up in last night’s call between Chinese & US Presidents. That is disinformation.”

“Pure lies,” an MFA spokesperson said of the White House’s claim. “White House spokesperson said the issues of genocide and forced labor were mentioned in the call last night, that is false information.”

In the Xinjiang area, China is alleged to have wrongfully detained up to 3 million Uyghurs and performed forced sterilizations and abortions. According to Chinese authorities, the camps in the area serve as “re-education” centers that fight Islamic extremism.

According to White House Press Secretary, “genocide” & “forced labor” came up in last night’s call between Chinese & US Presidents. That is disinformation. pic.twitter.com/sKdZQfqVnJ

— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) July 29, 2022

Chinese government officials have warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to cancel a planned trip to Taiwan, siting Chinese-U.S. foreign policy agreements.

“The call was a part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between the United States and the PRC and responsibly manage our differences and work together where our interests align,” the White House said of the call.