Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

China didn't want Russia's Ukraine invasion: Xi tells Biden in video call

Xi lamented the state of the world, according to his govt's statement, observing that 'the prevailing trend of peace and development is facing serious challenges'

President Xi Jinping
Photo: Bloomberg
Bloomberg
4 min read Last Updated : Mar 18 2022 | 11:14 PM IST
Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured U.S. President Joe Biden that his country didn’t want war in Ukraine during a highly anticipated, two-hour video conference on Friday, their first conversation since Russia’s invasion last month.

Xi told Biden that the invasion “is not something we want to see,” according to summaries released by the Chinese side, and that “the events again show that countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield.”

The White House has not yet issued a statement on the call.

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. 

Xi lamented the state of the world, according to his government’s statement, observing that “the prevailing trend of peace and development is facing serious challenges” and “the world is neither tranquil nor stable.”

But he criticized Western sanctions against Russia, saying that “the ordinary people are the ones who suffer,” according the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

“If further escalated, it will also trigger a serious crisis in global trade and economy, finance, energy, food, industrial supply chain, etc., which will add to the already difficult world economy and cause irreparable damage,” he added.

And he warned Biden on Taiwan, saying the U.S. “has misread and misjudged China’s strategic intentions.”

“If the Taiwan question is not handled properly, it will have a subversive impact on the relationship between the two countries,” he said.

Biden held the video conference in private from the White House’s secure Situation Room.

U.S. 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 ahead of the call 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 U.S. intelligence suggests China is open to supplying Russia with military and financial aid -- a request the U.S. 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 U.S. support for the democratically elected government on Taiwan. Chinese officials have repeatedly accused the U.S. side in recent weeks of failing to live up to the consensus reached during Biden’s video summit with Xi in November. 

While China has refrained from criticizing 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 U.S., 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 U.S.’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.

Topics :Joe BidenXi JinpingRussia Ukraine ConflictUkraine