Washington:
US President Joe Biden on Friday explained to Chinese leader Xi Jinping the “consequences” of any support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the White House said, as Beijing showed no signs of joining Western condemnation of the invasion.
The comments came during a nearly two-hour phone call between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies over Ukraine, Taiwan and their own relationship.
Biden “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia in carrying out brutal attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians,” the White House said in a statement.
The White House would not characterize Xi’s response to the warning.
China’s state-owned CCTV reported that Xi said the war was “in no one’s interest” and that “interstate relations cannot reach the stage of military hostilities.”
However, there was no direct criticism of the Kremlin and a readout from China’s foreign ministry quoted Xi as saying that “all sides” should support the “dialogue” between Russia and Ukraine.
Xi also seemed to place some responsibility for Russia’s invasion of his neighbor on the West, saying that “the US and NATO should also have a dialogue with Russia to address the core of the Ukraine crisis and address the security concerns of take away both Russia and Ukraine,” the foreign minister said. ministry noted.
The Chinese leader has consistently refused to condemn his fellow authoritarian ally President Vladimir Putin.
Now Washington fears Beijing could go as far as providing financial and military aid to Russia, turning an already explosive transatlantic standoff into a global dispute.
If that happened, China could not only help Russia weather sanctions and continue the war, but Western governments would also be faced with the painful decision of how to run the world’s second-largest economy. back, which is likely to lead to turmoil in international markets.
Washington is rushing to fend off that crisis, both by warning of ramifications for China and by appealing to Xi’s ambitions to become a global player.
China needs to “understand that their future lies with the United States, with Europe, with other developed and developing countries around the world. Their future does not lie with Vladimir Putin,” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told DailyExpertNews.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously urged China to use its “leverage” on Moscow.
– China ‘balances competing priorities’ –
The Biden-Xi call – the first since November – came after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the chief diplomat of the Chinese Communist Party, Yang Jiechi, held a “substantial” seven-hour meeting in Rome this week. †
Against a backdrop of already intense tensions between the US and China over Taiwan and trade disputes, the ability or failure of Biden and Xi to come to an agreement on the unfolding chaos in Europe will reverberate widely.
Xi and Putin symbolically sealed their close partnership when they met at the Beijing Winter Olympics last month — just before Putin launched his attack on Ukraine.
Since then, Beijing has stood out for refusing to join the international outcry over the invasion, while following the Russian line in blaming the United States and NATO. The Chinese authorities are even refusing to refer to the invasion as a “war,” again in line with the Kremlin’s points of discussion.
But China has also tried to remain somewhat ambiguous and show support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Ryan Hass, a fellow at Brookings Institution, a former adviser to President Barack Obama on China, said Beijing must resolve its clashing priorities.
Despite the sociability with Moscow, China – the world’s largest exporter – is closely linked to the United States and other western economies. It also wants to play a leading role in the world.
“The interests of China and Russia are not aligned. Putin is an arsonist of the international system and President Xi sees himself as an architect for recreating and improving the international system,” Hass said.
“President Xi is trying to balance competing priorities. He really values China’s partnership with Russia, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to undermine China’s relations in the West.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)