U.S. President Joe Biden has outlined to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the "consequences" of any support for Russia in its war against neighboring Ukraine, the White House said.
Biden and Xi held a nearly two-hour phone call that touched on Ukraine, Taiwan, and the the bilateral relationship.
"He described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians," the White House said in a statement.
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Biden also "underscored his support for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis," the statement said.
Separately, a senior U.S. official briefing reporters said that Biden told Xi that China would face consequences not just from the United States but from the wider world if Beijing offered material support to Russia.
The official said the conversation between the two leaders "was direct, it was substantive, and it was detailed."
The Chinese state media reported that Xi told Biden that Beijing and Washington should work together for peace.
"The crisis in Ukraine is something we don't want to see," Xi told Biden, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
China has repeatedly refused to condemn Russia, and Washington fears Beijing could now deliver financial and military support for Moscow.
On Taiwan, Biden told Xi that "U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed, and emphasized that the United States continues to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo."
Biden and Xi also "agreed on the importance of maintaining open lines of communication, to manage the competition between our two countries," the White House said.
Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said there had been "erroneous" signals from the U.S. side on the state of self-ruled, democratic Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of China that must be taken back, by force if necessary.
"Mishandling of the Taiwan question will have a disruptive impact on bilateral ties. China hopes that the US will give due attention to this issue," the ministry said in its English-language readout of the meeting.
The call was scheduled after an intense 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.
SEE ALSO: China In Eurasia Briefing: Beijing Is Playing The Long Game With Russia's InvasionChina 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 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.
Though the war in Ukraine has dominated Biden's focus lately, White House officials say they haven't lost sight of China -- and are watching to see how Xi decides to play his hand.