US President Joe Biden has China’s head of state Xi Jinping warned against supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine. Biden explained to Xi the consequences “if China provides material support to Russia in its brutal attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians,” the White House said on Friday. Xi stated that no one can be interested in conflict. “We don’t want to see anything like the Ukraine crisis,” Xi was quoted as saying.
The US and China should accept their international responsibilities and work for peace in the world, Xi said after a phone call with Biden, according to Chinese state media. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and the world’s most important economies, both countries should also “assume international responsibility and make efforts for peace and tranquility in the world,” according to a report by state television CCTV.
Humanitarian catastrophe must be prevented
The top priority must be the continuation of talks and the avoidance of a humanitarian catastrophe. Xi said after the report that NATO should start talks with Russia to resolve the conflicts behind the war. The Chinese President was also willing to provide humanitarian aid. The US government said the video call lasted almost two hours.
Before the phone call, the United States had threatened China with consequences in the event of military aid to Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blink Alluding to possible sanctions, the US said on Thursday that the US would not hesitate to impose “costs” on China if it supported the Russian attack. 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.