After Biden-Xi talks, US warns China of imposing sanctions if it supports Russia in Ukraine

US President Joe Biden during a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House

By Andrea Shalal, Michael Martina and Ryan Wu

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday of “consequences” if Beijing provides material support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said, while both sides stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. calamity.

While the White House did not elaborate on what those consequences would be, or how the US would determine the “material support,” press secretary Jen Psaki noted that China’s massive trade flows could be affected.

“Sanctions are definitely a tool in the toolbox,” Psaki said at a briefing when asked if China, the world’s largest exporter, might face tariffs or trade sanctions.

Speaking after a nearly two-hour video call between Biden and Xi, Psaki said the United States would inform Beijing of any direct consequences “with our European partners and counterparts.”

In the call, which comes at a time of deep tension between the world’s two largest powers, Biden detailed efforts by the United States and its allies to respond to the invasion of Ukraine, including imposing costs on Russia.

“He made clear the repercussions and consequences if China provided material support to Russia while it launched brutal attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians,” the White House said in a statement, adding that Biden “emphasized his support for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.”

A senior US official who spoke to reporters about the call said Biden had been told that Beijing would face consequences not only from the United States but from the entire world.

“The president was not really making specific requests to China,” the official said. I think our view is that China will make its own decisions.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi told Biden that the war in Ukraine should end as soon as possible and urged NATO countries to continue dialogue with Moscow. However, he did not blame Russia for the invasion, based on Beijing’s statements on the call.

“The main priorities now are to continue dialogue and negotiations, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, stop fighting and end the war as soon as possible,” Xi said.

Defending dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Xi suggested that Washington and NATO hold talks with Russia to solve the “critical point” of the Ukraine crisis and the security concerns of Russia and Ukraine.

“The crisis in Ukraine is something we don’t want to see,” Xi said in the conference call that, according to Chinese state media, asked, according to Chinese state media.

The Chinese president warned of sanctions.

Broad and indiscriminate penalties will only lead to people suffering. If they increase further, Xi said, they could cause serious crises in the global economy and in trade, finance, energy, food, industry and supply chains, paralyzing the already turbulent global economy and causing irreversible losses.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Thursday that the US government is concerned that China is considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment for use in Ukraine, something Beijing has denied.

Washington is also concerned that China could help Russia circumvent Western economic sanctions.

Hitting Beijing with the kind of intense economic sanctions already imposed on Russia would have potentially disastrous consequences for the United States and the world, given that China is the world’s second largest economy and largest exporter.