Beijing: Xi Jinping and Joe Biden held two hours of "candid and in-depth" talks Thursday, in which the Chinese president warned his US counterpart not to "play with fire" amid mounting tensions over Taiwan, state media reported.

"Those who play with fire will eventually get burned," Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Biden. "I hope the US side fully understand that," he was quoted as saying.

"Both presidents viewed their call as candid and in-depth," the state news agency reported.