U.S. President Joe Biden will speak by phone on March 18 with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the White House announced, as the United States pressures Beijing not to provide support to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
"President Biden will be speaking to President Xi tomorrow and 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," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news briefing on March 17.
Biden and Xi also will discuss the economic competition between the two countries, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier on March 17 in announcing the call.
"This is part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC," the White House said in a statement, referring to China.
"The two leaders will discuss managing the competition between our two countries, as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern," she said.
The call was scheduled after a meeting in Rome on March 14 between White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi.
During the meeting, Sullivan raised concerns about China's alignment with Russia. A senior Biden administration official said Sullivan was direct with Yang about "the potential implications and consequences" for China if it provided support to Russia.
China and Russia have intensified their bilateral relations in recent years, and China has failed to explicitly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, raising concerns in Washington.
U.S. officials have warned that China has amplified disinformation that Russia could use as a pretext for an attack on Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons. There are also reports that Russia has reached out to China for military aid, which Russia denies.
During his meeting with Yang, Sullivan wanted more transparency on Beijing’s posture regarding Russia and repeated that any attempts by China to help Russia avoid sanctions would be costly for Xi's government.