U.S. President Joe Biden is speaking today with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a moment of importance in world events. The call began this morning and comes at what is a potential turning point for diplomatic ties between the U.S. and China.
There is a growing concern in the U.S. administration of the budding partnership between China and Russia and between the leaders of the countries. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have formed an alliance of sorts, and it is worrying to Western officials.
The U.S. wants China to condemn stronger Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, Beijing appears to neither fully support nor fully oppose the invasion, which makes the stance a bit uncertain, and therefore of more concern.
At the beginning of the call, Xi said to Biden that conflict and confrontation are not within anyone’s interest and that peace and security are the most cherished things within the international community.
The White House is prepared for the call to turn intense, as a preliminary meeting that took place between Biden and Xi’s aides earlier this week lasted for a huge stretch of seven hours.
The U.S. says that China is currently weighing whether it will supply military or financial assistance to Russia, or both. Putin has requested support from China in order to help bolster its military effort, as well as relieve the crushing sanctions that have been imposed on the country.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is concerned that China is considering this direct assistance to Russia.
NATO allies believe that China has some willingness to provide this support.
However, Moscow has denied asking for support, and China has said it did not receive a request.
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