Biden, Xi to hold a phone call over Russia, Ukraine
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US President will have a call with the Chinese President over Beijing's stances on Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
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US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a virtual meeting
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to have a phone call on Friday at 9:00 am (1300 GMT), marking their first since a video summit in November.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said trade rows and snarled international supply chains will be discussed, as well as the situation in Ukraine.
According to Psaki, the call would be "an opportunity for President Biden to assess where President Xi stands."
The White House did not specify whether Biden will threaten China with sanctions during his call, but some sort of response is on the table.
However, it did mention in the statement that "this is part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC. The two Leaders will discuss managing the competition between the two countries as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern. This call in the Situation Room will be closed press."
Biden "will make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia's aggression and we will not hesitate to impose costs," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed.
Blinken called on China to use "whatever leverage they have to compel Moscow to end this war."
"Instead, it appears that China is moving in the opposite direction," he said, expressing his concern "that they're considering directly assisting Russia with military assistance."
The Biden-Xi call comes after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the Chinese Communist Party's chief diplomat Yang Jiechi held what the White House called a "substantial" seven-hour meeting in Rome this week.
Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met during the February Winter Olympics in Beijing.
And, unlike western countries, Beijing has refused to condemn Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, blaming the United States and NATO for European tensions.
