Biden and Xi to meet for talks on Russia-Ukraine crisis

The two meet as Russia shows few signs of relenting on its assault of Ukraine

(Getty Images)

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet virtually on Friday to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and managing competition between the US and China.

The two are meeting as Russia shows few signs of relenting on its assault of Ukraine.

“This is part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the [People’s Republic of China],” a statement from the White House said.

The Biden administration has expressed concerns about China aligning with Russia in the conflict. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing earlier this week that the G7 countries could make up the difference if China’s economy were cut off.

“If China were to decide to be an economic provider, or to take additional steps, there to Russia, they only make up 15 per cent or 20 – 15 to 20 per cent of the world's economy,” she said. “The G7 countries make up more than 50 per cent. So there are a range of tools at our disposal in coordination with our European partners should we need to use them.”

The remarks came after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with China’s Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi in Rome. The two reportedly discussed Ukraine as well as a host of other issues, including North Korea.

“We do have deep concerns about China's alignment with Russia at this time, and the national security advisor was direct about those concerns and the potential implications and consequences of certain actions,” one senior administration official said earlier this week before the meeting was announced.

The meeting reportedly lasted for more than seven hours.

“But again, we believe that it is important to keep open lines of communication between the United States and China, especially on areas where we disagree,” the official said.