President Joe Biden warned President Xi Jinping that Beijing would face consequences if China provides military or economic aid to Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine encounters logistical and strategic setbacks.
Biden did not make specific requests of China, but he made clear that China should not support Russia during the conflict, a senior administration official told reporters. “He was laying out his assessment of the situation … and the implications of certain actions.”
The official described the call as “direct, substantive, and detailed” but declined to say whether China referred to the attack as an invasion
Washington has imposed heavy sanctions on Russia to drive up the economic costs of the war, with U.S. officials warning that Moscow has approached Beijing for a lifeline under Western pressure.
THREE TIMES BIDEN WENT OFF SCRIPT AND FORCED WHITE HOUSE INTO CLEANUP MODE
Biden was “candid and direct” in the nearly two-hour call, a senior administration official told reporters on Friday, warning of repercussions “not just for China’s relationship with the United States, but for the wider world.”
The president described the “implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians,” according to a U.S. readout.
Xi pressed Biden to carve out a path for peace between Russia and Ukraine, arguing in his government’s account of their call that the U.S. shared an obligation with Beijing to avert further destruction from the war.
Xi suggested Washington was not doing enough to bring an end to the conflict, according to a readout by China’s Foreign Ministry published 20 minutes before the end of the nearly two-hour call. China has sought to cast itself as a neutral party to the conflict, issuing a readout hours earlier that called for ending the war and placed no blame on Russia.
“War in Ukraine “is not something China wants to see,” Xi said to Biden, adding that “conflict and confrontation are not in anyone’s interest.” The Chinese leader urged both powers to “shoulder international responsibilities” for peace.
“The world is neither tranquil nor stable,” Xi added.
In a follow-up readout, Xi pressed Biden to drive Ukraine and Russia toward a negotiated settlement with the warring countries needing urgently to “demonstrate political will” to end the conflict.
“As two Chinese sayings go, ‘It takes two hands to clap.’ ‘He who tied the bell to the tiger must take it off,’” the leader said.
Xi called on Biden to ease the security concerns of each side in the conflict, with China and the U.S. committing to support results-driven talks.
Global powers must “reject the Cold War mentality” to build a sustainable security architecture for the region, he said, adding, “China has been doing its best for peace and will continue to play a constructive role.”
In an extended discussion that Beijing said came at Washington’s request, Xi warned of “a growing number of challenges” in the U.S.-China relationship despite Biden’s call for “closer cooperation with China.”
According to the Chinese government, Biden told Xi that the U.S. aims to protect its relationship with China, manage competition between the countries, and does not support Taiwan’s independence.
Xi said some U.S. officials had failed to heed “the important common understanding” reached by both leaders over Taiwan and accused some Americans of sending “a wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces.”
“The U.S. has misperceived and miscalculated China’s strategic intention,” he said.
“Mishandling of the Taiwan question will have a disruptive impact on the bilateral ties,” he added.
According to a U.S. readout, Biden reiterated Washington’s commitment to the status quo on Taiwan, a concern Xi raised, according to a senior administration official.
“U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed,” he said.
Washington has responded to Ukraine’s requests for security assistance with surface-to-air missile defense systems, shoulder-mounted anti-armor launchers, millions of rounds of ammunition, and drones.
The high-stakes video call took place as the U.S. and its allies apply diplomatic pressure on China to distance itself from Russia as the possibility of economic sanctions rattle Chinese markets.
Prior to the call, national security adviser Jake Sullivan privately and Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly threatened “severe” consequences for Beijing for aiding Putin.
“We believe China in particular has a responsibility to use its influence with President Putin and to defend the international rules and principles that it professes to support,” Blinken said this week. “Instead, it appears that China is moving in the opposite direction by refusing to condemn this aggression while seeking to portray itself as a neutral arbiter.”
Biden’s top diplomat added that the U.S. “will not hesitate to impose costs” should China side with Russia in the war, highlighting the increasing closeness between the two countries displayed during last month’s Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Blinken’s counterpart, Wang Yi, has denied China’s involvement in the conflict despite U.S. intelligence reports suggesting Russia has requested assistance, including ammunition, surveillance equipment, spare parts, and even food. Moscow has similarly dismissed the accusations. Beijing has also amplified Kremlin disinformation about its “special military operation,” according to the U.S.
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The White House has downplayed comparisons between Russia and Ukraine’s tensions with that between China and Taiwan as Biden frames his presidency around the idea of democracy versus autocracy.
