President Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden in their virtual meeting on Tuesday that China will be compelled to take resolute measures, should the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence" make coercive provocations or even cross the red line.

When stating China's principled position on the Taiwan question, Xi said that the new wave of tensions across the Taiwan Straits was due to the repeated attempts by the Taiwan authorities to look for US support for their independence agenda as well as the intention of some Americans to use Taiwan to contain China.

Such moves are extremely dangerous and are just like playing with fire, he said, noting that whoever plays with fire will get burnt.

Xi stressed that the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiqués are the political foundation of China-US relations, and previous US administrations have all made clear commitments on this question.

He said that the true status quo of the Taiwan question and what lies at the heart of one China are: There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the only lawful government representing China.

Noting that it is an aspiration shared by all sons and daughters of the Chinese nation to achieve China's complete reunification, Xi said that "we have patience and will strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and efforts".

"That said, should the separatist forces for Taiwan independence provoke us, force our hands or even cross the red line, we will be compelled to take resolute measures," he added.