Biden speaks with China’s President Xi on Friday
Biden will speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday. The White House said the talks will be about “keeping the lines of communication open” and discussing competition between the two countries and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the US government again warned China not to support Russia in the war against Ukraine with military equipment. In such a case, the US would not hesitate to impose “costs” on China, Blinken said, alluding to possible sanctions. China has a responsibility to use its influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote an end to the war and compliance with international norms.
However, the government in Beijing does not want to condemn the Russian war of aggression and is taking a neutral stance, said Blinken. “We are concerned that she is considering directly supporting Russia with military equipment for use in Ukraine,” he said. President Biden will make it clear to Xi Jinping that China will be responsible for any support given to Russia, Blinken said.
warnings
The US government has repeatedly warned China and companies in the People’s Republic not to support Russia in circumventing Western sanctions. In such a case, the punitive measures could also be extended to Chinese companies, it said. The EU and the USA are significantly more important trading partners for China than Russia.
After the start of the Russian war of aggression, China made a commitment to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, but did not join the harsh Western sanctions against Russia. Beijing abstained from voting on a resolution against the war in the UN Security Council.