IRIA News

Chinese President Xi called on U.S. and NATO states to hold dialogue with Russia

U.S. President Joe Biden held a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping for nearly two hours on March 18 morning to discuss issues of mutual concern amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

China and the United States should shoulder their share of international responsibilities and work for world peace, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during the video call.

Russia-Ukraine crisis

White House said that the talks focused on “Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine”.

The Ukraine crisis is not something China wants to see, Xi said. Chinese president deplored “conflict and confrontation” which it said was “not in anyone’s interest”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

“The pressing priority is to keep the dialogue and negotiation going, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and cease hostilities as soon as possible” Xi said.

During the talks, Xi said that “China stands for peace and opposes war” and urged the importance of upholding international law and universally recognized norms governing international relations.

China has put forward a six-point initiative on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and is ready to provide further humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine. Xi stressed that “China has been doing its best for peace and will continue to play a constructive role.”

The Chinese president called on U.S. and NATO states to hold dialogue with Russia to resolve the crisis. “All sides need to jointly support Russia and Ukraine in having dialogue and negotiation that will produce results and lead to peace. The US and NATO should also have dialogue with Russia to address the crux of the Ukraine crisis and ease the security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine,” Xi emphasized.

During the conversation, the U.S. President underscored his support for a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine crisis.

Biden also made clear the “implications and consequences” if China aligns with Russia and provides them “material support.”

The two leaders also agreed on the importance of maintaining open lines of communication, to manage the competition between our two countries.

Taiwan policy

President Biden reiterated that “U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed”, and underlined that “the United States continues to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo.” The two leaders tasked their teams to follow up on March 18 conversation in the critical period ahead, the White House readout said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said that the U.S. President has “reiterated that the US does not seek to have a new Cold War with China, to change China’s system, or to revitalize alliances against China and that the US does not support “Taiwan independence” or intend to seek a conflict with China.” In response, President Xi said that he “take these remarks very seriously”.

Bilateral issues

President Xi stressed that he and President Biden share the view that “China and the U.S. need to respect each other, coexist in peace and avoid confrontation, and that the two sides should increase communication and dialogue at all levels and in all fields.”

The discussion is part of “ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between” the U.S. and China, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said ahead of the talks. The talks were the first between the two leaders since their virtual summit in November 2021.

U.S. and China earlier discussed bilateral relations and the Russia-Ukraine conflict on March 15 when U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member Yang Jiechi in Italy.

During the seven-hour meeting, the Chinese diplomat explained Beijing’s position on the ongoing situation in Ukraine and called on the international community to jointly support the Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

During the meeting, the officials of both countries also discussed several international and regional issues, including Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong issues, the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, as well as North Korea and Iran’s nuclear issues.