Joe Biden and Xi Jinping failed to bridge their differences over the Ukraine war, with the US president warning of “consequences” if Beijing provided military aid to the Kremlin while China’s leader lashed out at “sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions” imposed on Russia by the west.
The diplomatic stand-off came during a two-hour call between the two leaders on Friday, held at the end of a week in which Washington raised fears that
China would aid the struggling Russian military, which has seen its advance in Ukraine largely come to a halt in the face of fierce resistance.
The White House said Biden raised those concerns during the call, saying he “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia”.
In Beijing’s account of the call, it said Xi criticised the economic punishment the US and its allies have imposed on Russia in response to the invasion, which could be extended to other countries, including China, if they side with Moscow.
“Sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions would only make the people suffer. If further escalated, they could trigger serious crises in global economy and trade, finance, energy, food and industrial and supply chains, crippling the already languishing world economy and causing irrevocable losses,” Xi said, according to the Chinese account.
Still, Beijing said Xi asked Biden for a “cool-headed and rational” approach to the conflict; stressed that “the Ukraine crisis is not something we want to see”; and said that the US and China “must shoulder our share of international responsibilities and work for world peace and tranquility”.
The call between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies was the latest diplomatic effort to end Russia’s war against its neighbour — and US officials said Biden offered a lengthy description of both the invasion and the western response.