President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke for nearly two hours on Friday in a video call that came as the U.S. tries to convince Beijing to distance itself from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The latest: Xi told Biden that “conflict and confrontation are not in anyone’s interest,” and that the Ukraine crisis was “not something we want to see,” according to China’s Foreign Ministry. The White House has not provided a readout of the call beyond the fact that it lasted one hour and 50 minutes.
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The big picture: China has not publicly condemned or defended its most powerful partner’s invasion of Ukraine, but Chinese officials and state media have largely put the blame on the U.S. and the West.
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The FT reports that China has shown willingness to provide Russia with weapons, raising fears of a superpower proxy war with the U.S. and China arming either side in Ukraine. Chinese officials denied having received any request for arms from Moscow, and there are no indications that any such efforts have been set in motion.
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In an “intense” seven-hour meeting with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi on Monday in Rome — which appears to have set the stage for Friday’s call — national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned of “consequences” if Beijing materially supports Russia’s war in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official briefed reporters.
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Ahead of Friday’s call, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Biden would “make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs.”
What to watch: The approach of Chinese state media has shifted in recent days, analysts note, to include more coverage of Russian attacks, civilian casualties, and speeches by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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