WASHINGTON, March 19 (Japantimes) - U.S. President Joe Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping in a video conference on Friday of “implications and consequences” should China support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while Xi assured Biden that his country didn’t want the war.
The highly anticipated call was the first conversation between the two men since Russia’s invasion last month.
“President Biden detailed our efforts to prevent and then respond to the invasion, including by imposing costs on Russia,” the White House said in a statement. “He described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians.”
The brief White House statement described the conversation as “focused” on Ukraine. But much lengthier summaries released by the China side portrayed a more wide-ranging discussion, including “the situation in Ukraine,” and said that the U.S. had requested the call.
Xi told Biden that the invasion “is not something we want to see,” according to the Chinese summaries, and that “the events again show that countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield.”
The video conference began shortly after 9 a.m. Washington time and ended just before 11 a.m. It was an opportunity for Biden to assess where Beijing stands on the war and how Xi views his country’s role, after some Chinese officials issued conflicting statements on their support for Ukraine and Russia.
Biden pointed out to Xi in detail the response to Russia’s invasion from governments around the world as well as the private sector, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters after the call on condition of anonymity. Many international companies have withdrawn from Russia’s market, including Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc., McDonald’s Corp. and Starbucks Corp.
Biden made clear to Xi that there likely would be consequences for anyone who supports Russia, the official said.
“While we have not asked companies to take specific steps, you look at Russia and what’s happened there, and what the implications have been for the Russian economy of companies pulling out, and that’s certainly something for every country to watch as they’re making decisions about which side of this conflict they’re going to stand on,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing after the call.
She said the “vast majority” of the call concerned Ukraine.
Biden also stressed U.S. concerns that Russia is spreading disinformation about a purported Ukrainian biological weapons program as a pretext for using chemical or biological weapons itself, the official said. He underscored to Xi U.S. concerns about echoing those claims.
American officials have previously criticized China for helping to promote the Russian allegations of a Ukrainian bioweapons program.
Psaki said the U.S. will now watch for Beijing’s reaction. “Actions are a key part of what we’ll be watching,” she said. “What we would project or convey to any leader around the world is that the rest of the world is watching where you’re going to stand as it relates to this conflict.”
She has previously noted, in pointed terms, that China has not publicly condemned the Russian invasion. The summaries of the call that Xi’s government issued did not mention any condemnation or criticism of Putin or the Kremlin.
