By setting the stage a few hours before the debate between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping today, the United States made it clear on Thursday that China would be in danger of retaliation if it “supported the Russian attack” on Ukraine.
“We are concerned that (the Chinese) are planning to help Russia immediately with military equipment that could be used in Ukraine. The president Biden will speak with President Xi “He will tell him clearly that China will be responsible for any action taken in support of the Russian attack – and that we will not hesitate to impose costs on it,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Thursday.
“We are concerned that China is considering providing immediate military assistance to Russia,” he said.
Beijing has categorically denied that it has such an intention.
Washington says it is also concerned that the Chinese government will help Moscow bypass Western sanctions.
This is the most unequivocal warning, publicly or privately, sent by the United States to China since the start of the Russian offensive against Ukraine on February 24.
It was made a few hours before the meeting between the American and Chinese presidents, which is scheduled to take place at 09:00 (Eastern US time; 15:00 Greek time), according to a press release issued by the White House.
The US warnings are being made against the backdrop of wider bilateral tensions over a range of issues.
It will be the first debate between Presidents Biden and Xi since November – and it will be loaded with tensions.
The Ukrainian crisis is a new front in the rivalry between the two sides. Hopes for de-escalation in the wide range of disputes seem to have deflated.
Last November, Biden warmly greeted the Chinese president, with whom he has known since he was vice president, and Mr. Xi called the White House resident an “old friend.” But mutual compliments do not hide the fact that the two sides treat each other as adversaries, although both assure that they want to avoid a “cold war” or open conflict.
Washington is skeptical of China’s relationship with Russia, whose president, Vladimir Putin, announced last month that Moscow and Beijing were forging a strategic partnership “without limits.”
China has diligently avoided condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and even talking about an invasion. While assuring that he respects Ukraine’s national sovereignty, he points out that Russia had legitimate security concerns that should be addressed and called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Washington and its allies have not yet decided what kind of action they would take against China if Beijing did offer support to Moscow, an official said. If the same model of extensive economic sanctions were chosen, this would have very serious consequences for the US economy and the world economy: China is the second largest economy in the world and the largest exporter in the world.
A preparatory meeting between the two presidents – National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Communist Party’s chief international affairs official Yang Jiechi – in Rome on Monday was particularly lengthy and was described as “tough” and “tense”.
The Biden government has so far provided no evidence that China intends to provide military assistance to Russia. Moscow has denied this. Beijing speaks of “misinformation”.
However, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said this week that his country was counting on its relationship with China in order to cope with the blow to its economy due to Western sanctions aimed at isolating the Russian economy.
The war in Ukraine is not the only issue on the agenda.
Talks on the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, North Korea’s armaments program and Taiwan are also expected to be affected, in addition to bilateral trade negotiations.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
