The US White House is calling on China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the Russian attack continues.
The White House called on China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as Moscow’s assault against its neighbor persists. They also noted that President Putin has put nuclear forces on high alert.
China has implemented some sanctions imposed by the US and its allies against Russia over the invasion and has spoken in favor of Ukrainian sovereignty last week, but a White House spokesperson says the government is calling for more.
Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said: “This is not a time to stand on the sidelines. This is a time to be vocal and condemn the actions of President Putin and Russia invading a sovereign country.”
She said President Biden has not spoken with Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently and did not rule out a call in the future. Psaki said: “But there’s also important steps for the Chinese leadership to look at themselves and really assess where they want to stand as the history books are written.”
President Biden took only a concealed swipe at China last week after Beijing rejected calling Moscow’s move an invasion and urged all sides to exercise restraint.
China is Russia’s biggest trade partner for both exports and imports, buying a third of Russia’s crude oil exports in 2020 and supplying it with manufactured products from mobile phones and electronics to toys and clothing.
President Biden said without naming China: “Putin will be a pariah on the international stage. Any nation that countenances Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine will be stained by association.”
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry reiterated its opposition to the use of what it calls illegal and unilateral sanctions after western countries moved to block some Russian banks from the Swift international payments system.
Wang Wenbin, foreign ministry spokesman, speaking at a regular daily news briefing, also brushed off a call from the White House on Sunday for China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying that China always stands on the side of peace and justice and decides its position on the merits.
China has refused to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine or call it an invasion, and has repeatedly called for negotiations while acknowledging what it describes as Russia’s legitimate security concerns.
Wang said: “We are against using sanctions to resolve problems, even more so against unilateral sanctions without international mandate. China and Russia will continue regular trade cooperation based on the spirit of mutual respect and equality, equality and mutual benefit.”
Psaki’s comments on Sunday were more pointed, coming hours after President Putin ordered his military command to put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert in the face of the huge Western response to his war on Ukraine.
Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have grown increasingly close over the years. Earlier this month the countries signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership aimed at countering US influence and said they would have “no “forbidden” areas of cooperation”.
The United States, Britain, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the EU unveiled more sanctions on Moscow on top of penalties last week, including a move by Germany to halt an $11 billion gas pipeline from Russia.