Xi: China, US should work for world peace, tranquility

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Upon Joe Biden's request, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart were speaking on a 2-hour long video call Friday evening about the current Ukraine crisis. 

China and the United States, according to Xi, should share international responsibilities and work for world peace and tranquility. 

The video conference was the first since last November's virtual summit, when the two presidents exchanged views on Chinese and US relations and matters of mutual interest.

Xi, noting the serious challenges that the world is facing right now, said that the world is neither tranquil nor stable and that the Ukraine crisis is not something that Beijing wants to see.

State-to-state relations cannot advance to the stage of confrontation, and conflicts and confrontations are not in the interests of anyone, Xi said.

He continued that the events show that countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield, saying that conflict and confrontation are not in anyone's interest, adding that peace and security are what the international community should prize the most. 

"As permanent members of the UN Security Council and the world's two leading economies, we must not only guide the China-U.S. relations forward along the right track, but also shoulder our share of international responsibilities and work for world peace and tranquility," Xi told Biden.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Biden will make it clear to Xi that China will bear responsibility if Beijing were to support Russia's aggression and that Washington "will not hesitate to impose costs."

Read more: Russia sanctions Biden, Blinken, Psaki, Clinton, others

 

Furthermore, Washington is also concerned that China will help Russia curb West-led sanctions, especially after Russia's state bank VTB offers accounts in Yuan.

Beijing's independent position

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian affirmed Friday that Beijing adheres to an independent position on the Ukrainian crisis.

Commenting on Washington's threats to take action in event of China's support for Russia, Zhao pointed out that "regarding the Ukrainian issue, China has always made independent judgments based on the merits of the case in an objective and fair manner."

The Chinese diplomat added that some people in the US continue to spread false information and slander and pressure China, which is an extremely irresponsible behavior that does not help resolve the crisis.