Biden warned Xi of ‘consequences’ for backing Russia in war
BNN Bloomberg
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 the U.S. leader that his country didn’t want the war.
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 the U.S. leader 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 about the call. “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.
