Biden, Xi begin first call since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Bloomberg

US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping began a closely watched phone call on Friday, their first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month.
The call, which started shortly after 9 am Washington time, is 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 is holding the conversation in private from the White House’s secure Situation Room.
US officials have warned China of serious consequences should they decide to provide Russia with any military or financial assistance for the invasion. “We are ready to impose costs on China,” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told MSNBC on Friday, urging Beijing to instead stand with Ukraine.
China should “understand that their future is with the United States, with Europe, with other developed and developing countries around the world,” she said. “Their future is not to stand with Vladimir Putin.”
Earlier, the Chinese dismissed the suggestion that they have chosen the wrong side in the war. “The claim that #China is on the wrong side of history is overbearing. It is the #US that is on the wrong side of history,” Hua Chunying, China’s assistant foreign minister said in a tweet.
The White House has called out Beijing for efforts to portray itself as a neutral arbiter, while US intelligence suggests China is open to supplying Russia with military and financial aid — a request the US has said was made by Moscow shortly after the invasion.
It’s not clear if China has decided to provide material support for Russia. China and Russia have denied such asks were made.
The Ukraine crisis has increased the pressure on a relationship already strained by everything from trade disputes to US support for the democratically elected government on Taiwan.
Chinese officials have repeatedly accused the US side in recent weeks of failing to live up to the consensus reached during Biden’s video summit with Xi in November.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported on its Weibo account that the two leaders would discuss mutual issues of concern, without mentioning Russia or Ukraine specifically.
While China has refrained from criticising the invasion and voiced support for Russia’s “legitimate strategic concerns,” it has also urged peace talks and the protection of civilians. China’s ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, has rejected speculation that Xi had advance knowledge of Putin’s plan as “disinformation,” saying China would’ve tried to stop the conflict.
The call is also part of the US’s ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the two countries even as tensions run high.
It follows a six-hour meeting earlier this week in Rome between Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, which the White House described as an intense back-and-forth.