During a two-hour call Friday morning, President Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping that supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would have severe consequences for Beijing, according to White House officials.
one that has become even more crucial since Western nations have imposed heavy sanctions on Moscow in response to last month’s invasion. Beijing has been careful not to alienate either Putin or Western leaders, a tightrope act that could become more difficult as images of death and destruction continue to emanate daily from Ukraine.
Biden apparently did not make any explicit requests of his Chinese counterpart. “China has to make a decision for themselves about where they want to stand,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing on Friday afternoon. Given its immense economic and political power, Beijing is unlikely to appreciate pressure from Washington. “China will make its own decisions,” the senior administration official said, while reiterating that supporting Putin’s war —— would have “consequences,” a likely reference to sanctions.
Asked during Friday’s press briefing about whether China was preparing to offer military support to Putin, Psaki declined to give an answer. “I’m not going to give an assessment on that,” she told reporters.Relations between China and the United States have been tense in recent months because of human rights abuses committed against China’s minority Uyghur population; those abuses have been described as genocide. The U.S.
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