Biden Warns China's Xi of 'Consequences' if Beijing Supports Russia on Ukraine
By: Alex Leary and Lingling Wei (WSJ)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have become close in the past decade, toasting with vodka and exchanging friendship medals. As the West sanctions Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, China could help, but only to a certain extent. Photo Illustration: Sharon Shi By Alex Leary and Lingling Wei Updated March 18, 2022 5:45 pm ET
WASHINGTON—President Biden warned Chinese leader Xi Jinping that China and its relations with the U.S. would suffer consequences if Beijing provides substantive assistance to Russia in its military assault on Ukraine.
During a nearly two-hour-long videoconference Friday that centered on the Ukraine crisis, Mr. Biden outlined for Mr. Xi the unified allied response against Russia, the economic sanctions imposed, the global condemnation of the invasion and the withdrawal of many foreign businesses from the Russian market, a senior U.S. official said.
In describing that response, U.S. officials said, Mr. Biden tried to suggest the stakes for China .
“President Biden made clear the implication and consequences of China providing material support…to Russia as it prosecutes its brutal war in Ukraine, not just for China’s relationship with the United States, but for the wider world,” the official said. The official declined to say if specific threats were leveled or to characterize Mr. Xi’s response.
China’s official version of the meeting largely sought to present China as a peacemaker and minimized traces of conflict between the leaders over Ukraine. “The Ukraine crisis is something we don’t want to see,” Mr. Xi told Mr. Biden, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. “Conflict and confrontation are not in the interests of anyone.”
Mr. Biden also voiced concern that the Chinese government is spreading disinformation by repeating what the U.S. says are false Russian assertions that the U.S. is supporting biological weapons research in Ukraine.
Ukraine—and Mr. Xi’s close partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin —have added friction to a U.S.-China relationship that is already contentious and running low on trust. The Biden administration at a minimum wants to deter Beijing from becoming more deeply involved with Russia, and Friday’s meeting offered no apparent breakthrough nor indication of whether Mr. Xi is considering reassessing ties with Moscow.
Mr. Biden didn’t make specific requests to Mr. Xi, U.S. officials said. Questioned why, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “Because China has to make a decision for themselves about where they want to stand and how they want the history books to look at them and view their actions. And that is a decision for President Xi and the Chinese to make.”
The U.S. has said Beijing bears a responsibility to use its influence with Mr. Putin to seek an end to the war. Mr. Xi, however, sought to present China as a neutral party to the conflict, and one that can facilitate negotiations to bring it to an end.
In China’s official version of the meeting, Mr. Xi urged Mr. Biden to work with China to “not only lead the development of China-U.S. relations to the right track but also shoulder our due international responsibilities and make efforts for world peace.”
Beijing has so far declined to criticize Russia or even to term its actions in Ukraine an invasion, expressing sympathy with the security concerns Moscow has cited as among the reasons for the military assault. Further, China has criticized the severe economic sanctions brought by the U.S. and its allies against Russia.
After having been caught off guard during the early days of Russia’s attack, according to foreign-policy experts close to the Chinese government, Beijing has now settled on a clearer strategy : It won’t oppose Russia, and it will support Ukraine—what is described in China as “benevolent neutrality.”
The stance reflects Mr. Xi’s effort to stick to his strategic focus on making common cause with Russia to undermine the U.S.-led West, while trying to still present China as a responsible world leader.
Without more substantive actions, however, Beijing’s position is unlikely to satisfy the Biden administration, international affairs analysts said, and stop the deterioration in China-U.S. relations.
“Xi does not want to alienate Moscow but neither does he want U.S.-China relations to collapse, especially as the West is far more important to the faltering Chinese economy than Russia,” said Neil Thomas, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a political-risk consulting firm. “Whether Xi can navigate between Biden and Putin is a huge test of his leadership.”
Relations with the U.S. have plummeted in recent years across the board over a proliferating set of issues, from a trade war and competition to dominate critical technologies to China’s suppression of democracy campaigners in Hong Kong and ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang, as well as longstanding flashpoints like Taiwan. With the bilateral relationship beset with problems, Beijing sees little interest in helping the U.S. with Russia, according to foreign-policy experts close to the Chinese government.
The Chinese version of Friday’s meeting said Mr. Biden reiterated previous pledges he had made to Mr. Xi that the U.S. doesn’t seek to change China’s system, oppose China by strengthening its alliances, or support Taiwan’s independence. “I take your remarks very seriously,” Mr. Xi told Mr. Biden, according to Xinhua.
Then the Chinese leader sought to shift blame for the deteriorating relationship on “some people in the U.S.” who “didn’t implement the important consensus” between Messrs. Xi and Biden. That comment reflects Beijing’s displeasure with leaks from the Biden administration in recent days alleging China was open to providing military assistance to Russia for its war against Ukraine.
“The U.S. has misread and misjudged China’s strategic intentions,” Mr. Xi said.
Mr. Xi also reiterated Chinese concerns about Taiwan, a U.S. partner and democratically ruled island that Beijing says it eventually intends to absorb, by force if necessary. The Biden administration has continued arms sales to Taiwan and dispatched a delegation there as Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine .
As part of the sparring around Taiwan, a Chinese aircraft carrier and a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed through the Strait of Taiwan in a pair of separate, sensitive maneuvers on Thursday and Friday.
Mr. Biden during the call “reiterated that U.S. policy on Taiwan hasn’t changed, and emphasized that the United States continues to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo,” the White House said.
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China called Russia their most important strategic partner and on the other hand China's ambassador to Ukraine, Fan Xiangong, praised the nation earlier this week:
"We will always respect your state, we will develop relations on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. We will respect the path chosen by Ukrainians , because this is the sovereign right of every nation," Fan told Lviv officials on Monday, according to the Lviv regional government.
Does anyone get the impression that China intends to have it both way? They are looking to befriend the winner?
There is also the unsourced story coming from German newspaper Bild that claims Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was allegedly on a flight headed to Beijing Thursday, but the plane turned around midway and flew back toward Moscow.
Today I heard another bit on this rumor - that being Lavrov was angered by Chinese media showing Russian soldiers firing into a crowd of Ukrainian civilians.
Oh, I suppose I should ask if anyone thought Biden's phone call did any good?
IMO, did no more than Blinken's recent laughable attempt to bully China - all of that's just for domestic political support come November because it's water off a duck's back in China.
"You have posted what Americans are being told about the conversation. Here is what the Chinese are being told, quoted from today's China Daily (which is a CPC-controlled news site).
CAVEAT: I would like to make it clear that these are NOT MY WORDS, so DO NOT PIN THEM ON ME. i am only posting them to make sure that both sides of a story are posted so that members at least SEE the other side, something many on this site refuse to do, yet criticize me for doing.
Thanks Buzz
Which means both sides are lying through their teeth.
Surprised Xi could say this with a straight face. China has all but invaded Taiwan. They are threatening the country militarily; financially; and politically. The people of Hong Kong aren't in love with Chinese coming to power; and China hasn't been tender in it's take over. China's neighbors; even their allies; are not too thrilled with China's efforts to expand their influence into international and contested waters with the man made islands/military outposts.
Brandon is no better. He has problems just reading a scripted response- so maybe he was so busy try to get the right words out and couldn't react to what he was saying.
The US including Biden; doesn't want China taking Taiwan. Biden authorized sales of advanced US military hardware to Taiwan. He has also continued Trump's policies of having US troops train and practice with Taiwanese troops. Not the actions of someone who, " does not support "Taiwan independence"". The US also authorized sail of nuclear submarines to Australia. The US is also bolstering it's connections with allies in the area to offset China.
Both sides are talking past each other; and trying to gain political points. Neither can afford a change in the status quo; so the moronic dance will continue.
China is an ancient civilization - 5000 years at least. It is patient. It can wait years for things to happen and has proven so. It was a 10 year plan to eradicate abject poverty, and it was fulfilled within that time frame - (such long term plans are not delayed or reversed by changes in government - something that perhaps you are more familiar with). It can and, especially in light of the western world's debilitating sanctions on Russia, WILL wait as long as it takes for Taiwan to be added to the fold. As for Hong Kong, the intensity and destruction of the protests made it necessary to pave the way for Hong Kong's inevitable inclusion as part of the mainland government, and how would you know whether or not a great majority of Hong Kong residents decry the protests that occurred and are not disturbed by that inevitability?
Anoon Buzz..our mob have been running around for 50,000 years..
Perfectly civilised own laws and mythology..hand in hand with mother nature.. until the Europeans rolled up..and the rest is history...
So China is really not that old...
I was only trying to make the point about patience, not everything has to be accomplished during a short administration like one that can become a lame duck in 2 or 4 years.
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China has to play with respect to unification and I think they're really in a corner - they can't afford an image like Russia's.
In many ways!
Xi is what he is. An autocrat. At least Biden never said he liked, trusted or admired him like the previous occupant.
The phone call. It was made, the US position was made clear, and the ball is in Xi's court. End of story.
Don't like it. Then quit buying Chinese crap.
As was the Chinese position, and the ball is still in centre court.
LOL. I'll bet that damn near every mechanical and electronic item you own has "Chinese crap" as part of it.
Chinese crap. Yeah. Isn't my fault Reagan murdered capitalism with Supply Side Economics and offshored US manufacturing to the highest profit bidders.
Some forget what the boomers did to the American Auto industry by buying cheap foreign imports in the 1960's, in the decade before globalization.
So very very true. And it's not just in the past, we still see this behavior today.
Fortunately, dumping cheap goods in the US is getting some attention now.
I owned and drove only General Motors cars from 1958 to 1978.
I'm glad to hear it. I kind of already knew.
You preceded me a little bit. My first car was in the early 70's and it was a brand new Chevy Impala which I bought, cash in hand, for the sticker price of $5,000.
I was thinking about your comment concerning the 1960s, My very first car was a two year old used 1950 Ford custom coach - I was 16 then. My father always drove American cars - His first car was a 1945 Ford, but then he never owned another Ford. He traded it to a 1947 Chrysler that he traded for a 1951 Hudson Hornet that I crashed so he then got a 1952 Hudson Hornet, then a Chrysler New Yorker, an Olds 98, and then Cadillacs from then on. I admit I eventually went foreign - Volvos, Peugeot 604, Toyota Camrys, bought a VW Golf convertible for my daughter and a Volvo wagon for my son. Ooops. I Forgot, I bought my ex a wedding present back in 1972 - a little Mazda RX3 wagon with a rotary Wankel engine that could leave a Mercedes in the dust at a stoplight but it was a piece of junk, the plastic gearshift handle fell apart in her hand.
The difference might have been that the younger generation in the 60's only had so much cash to spend on a car and the truth be told, they went after whatever they could afford. I guess that's now a good argument for protectionism?
In your case, it seems you appreciated the car for all it could be. You started at 16, huh? Nice. Some of those cars you mention bring back memories. I still remember the advertisement for the Chrysler New Yorker, it went something like this: "What a beautiful New Yorker...You're the talk of the town."
From day one I only bought American cars with a nice ride to them. My youngest bought a Hyundai Accent when she came of age. At that time, 2002, they were trying to break into the American market and establish some credibility. The car was priced at $10,000 with a 10,000 mile warranty, as I recall. It served her well, I believe she had it for about 12 years. What can I say?
I think my father bought me the 1950 Ford to deter me because I had fallen in love with a 1939 black Packard limo that was for sale, parked at the service station around the corner that I could have bought for $900 and I had the money. Can you imagine how a 16 year old kid would feel about driving a car like this?
Hey, maybe we should demand a transcript of the conversation, like democrats and the mediaused to?