In an attempt to persuade China to distance itself from Russia during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, US Vice President Joe Biden held a lengthy phone chat with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. While Biden promised retaliation if Beijing helped Moscow in any manner, Xi made it plain that he would not be pushed.
The nearly two-hour phone call between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies took place amid the escalating conflict in Ukraine, which is being fueled by the US and its NATO allies, who have imposed crippling economic sanctions on Russia and funneled billions of dollars in arms to the Ukrainian military.
Biden “explained the implications and repercussions if China gives significant support to Russia,” according to a bland White House summary of the discussion. The threats, however, failed to elicit any concessions or agreements from Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the exception of maintaining “open lines of communication” and managing “competition between our two countries.”
Behind closed doors, what a senior Biden official described as “a direct, open” conversation was undoubtedly much more heated. Xi is fully aware that the Biden administration has China, which the US considers as the primary danger to its global hegemony, in its sights after irresponsibly orchestrating the crisis in Ukraine, which threatens a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the media on the night of Biden’s phone chat that the US president “will make plain that China will face responsibility for any actions it takes to encourage Russia’s aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs.” With its close relations to Russia, Blinken said that China has “a special responsibility” to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease the war, but that “it appears that China is moving in the opposite direction.”
With a similar warning, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman added to the pressure. Xi had to remind Putin that “this war of choice” in Ukraine had to come to a stop. “China needs to be on the right side of history,” she told CNN. It must ensure that sanctions imposed on Russia are not backfilled, either financially or in other ways.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki expressed Washington’s displeasure with the phone call, saying the US had a “range of options” at its disposal, including penalties, if Beijing aided Moscow. She added that when Biden visits Europe next week to meet with NATO, European Union, and G7 leaders, he will discuss a coordinated Western reaction.
All of these threats and insults are full of hypocrisy and cynicism. Since the US-backed coup deposed Ukraine’s elected president in 2014 and pushed Russia into a corner, the US and NATO have been arming the right-wing Ukrainian government and associated fascist militias. Now, the US and NATO are arming the Ukrainian military with massive amounts of sophisticated weaponry. Despite this, they accuse China of considering military aid to Russia without providing any evidence.
From the beginning, the Biden administration’s goal has been to isolate Russia and entrap it in a war in Ukraine, with complete disregard for the suffering of the Ukrainian people or the possibilities that the fight could expand into a far larger confrontation between nuclear-armed nations. Russia’s desperate and dangerous invasion was triggered by NATO’s inability to provide any assurance that becoming Ukraine a member would not further intrude on Russian boundaries.
China has not condemned Russia’s invasion, instead blaming the situation on US and NATO efforts. At the same time, Beijing has refused to acknowledge Russia’s annexation of Crimea or Putin’s declaration of independence for two pro-Russian separatist-held territories of eastern Ukraine. Beijing has frequently called for peace negotiations and offered to mediate on the basis of both Russia’s and Ukraine’s legitimate security concerns.
According to Chinese media reports, Xi urged Biden to take a “reasonable and calm” approach to the situation, emphasizing that “the Ukraine crisis is not something we wish to see.” As a result of Washington’s strong approach to both countries, China has developed tight relationships with Russia, but also has significant contacts with Ukraine. The conflict runs right through Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, which involves enormous infrastructure investments connecting China and Europe.
Xi spoke out against the US and its partners imposing unilateral economic restrictions on Russia, warning of potentially grave effects for the world economy. Xi is quoted as saying, “Sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions will only make the people suffer.” “If they escalate further, they might cause significant crises in the global economy and commerce, banking, energy, food, and industrial and supply chains, hurting the already ailing global economy and causing irreversible losses,” says the report.
While Xi’s statements have received little attention, other Chinese leaders have slammed the US both before and after the phone discussion with Biden.
“China will never accept US threats and pressure,” an anonymous official warned, according to the state-owned Global Times. “If the US takes steps that hurt China’s legitimate interests and the rights of Chinese firms and persons, China will not sit quietly by and would respond strongly.” The official emphasized that the United States should have no illusions or miscalculations about the situation.
These “strong messages were conveyed as the Biden administration has upped its disinformation campaign regarding China’s’military support’ to Russia and attempted to frighten China with ‘dire consequences,'” according to the Global Times.
“It is the US that is on the wrong side of history,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying tweeted in response to Deputy Secretary of State Sherman’s statements. The situation would have been drastically different if the US had “refrained from continually expanding NATO and guaranteed that NATO would not include Ukraine, and had not stoked the flames by delivering arms and ammunition to Ukraine.”
The parallels between Washington’s confrontational activities in Ukraine and its inflaming of tensions over the perilous hotspot of Taiwan are particularly concerning to Beijing. The Biden administration has accused China of planning an invasion of the island while also undermining the “One China” principle, which is the cornerstone of US-China ties.