Biden conveys concern to Xi Jinping about Chinese support for the Russian invasion

This Tuesday, US President Joe Biden conveyed to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in the first telephone conversation between them since 2022, the United States’ concern about Chinese support for Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.

“China is, obviously, a sovereign country that will make its own decisions about its relations, but we are very concerned about the direction this is taking,” senior Biden government officials told reporters.

In statements to the press before the telephone call, White House officials indicated that Biden intended to focus the conversation on the concern that Washington feels about the help that Beijing has provided to the Russian war machine, estimating that it will have a long-term impact on European security.

The most recent meeting between the two presidents took place last November, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit in San Francisco, and this call was a way of keeping dialogue open to manage the competition between the two super- powers.

The phone conversation included on the agenda the importance of maintaining peace and stability both in the Taiwan Strait – a self-governed island whose sovereignty is claimed by China and which Washington has promised to defend against a possible Chinese invasion – as well as in the South China Sea, rich in resources and where Beijing maintains territorial disputes with neighboring countries.

Biden highlighted the North American defense of the “one China” policy and also expressed concern about “destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea, such as the attack, in March, by several Chinese ships with water cannons against a Philippine ship in those disputed waters.

Washington is also pressuring Beijing to use its influence with Iran to persuade the Huthis, Yemeni rebels believed to be in its orbit, to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.

Biden’s warnings to Xi were also raised bilaterally, in previous moments, when Washington stressed that measures will continue to be taken to protect its national security and economic interests.

On March 25, the United States linked Beijing to a conspiracy to carry out cyber campaigns against critical infrastructure, for which seven Chinese citizens were charged.

The Biden Government highlighted that no agreements were expected with this telephone conversation, but rather an update that was previously not possible due to the logistical difficulty of organizing it with a 12-hour time difference.

The conversation between the two leaders will be followed by visits to China by other members of the US Government, including a trip by Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, in the coming days, and Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in the coming weeks.

The two heads of state had a “sincere and in-depth exchange of views on relations between China and the United States and on issues of common interest to the two sides,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.