"Biden's Warning to 'Stop Supporting Russia'... 1 Hour 50 Minutes Call with Xi Jinping"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the 18th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, warning against economic and military support for Russia.

According to the White House, the call lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes from 9:03 a.m. to 10:53 a.m. Eastern Time. The White House stated, "President Biden explained the efforts made so far to prevent the invasion and the response measures including sanctions against Russia," adding, "In particular, he explained the implications and future consequences if China provides material support to Russia amid Russia's brutal attacks on Ukraine."

So far, the West, including the U.S., has raised suspicions that China, which has been reluctant to define the situation as 'Russia's invasion,' might support Russia. Especially, this call, which took place during President Biden's trip to Europe, was also an opportunity for the U.S. to accurately assess President Xi's stance on the situation. Following the high-level U.S.-China talks held earlier in Italy, the U.S. appears to have strongly warned of 'serious consequences' if China supports Russia during this call between the two leaders.

A senior White House official said in a separate briefing, "President Biden detailed the global response to Russia's invasion during the call," and added, "The conversation was direct, substantive, and specific."

Additionally, the two leaders agreed on the importance of establishing communication channels to manage competition between the U.S. and China. Regarding the core conflict issue between the two countries, Taiwan, President Biden conveyed that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged and that the U.S. opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.