Biden says warned Xi of investor fallout if China backs Russia's war
World
Joe Biden said he told Xi Jinping that violating the sanctions would be a "gigantic mistake.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Joe Biden said he warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping of damage to the investment climate if Beijing violated sanctions imposed by a coalition of countries against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
In an excerpt of an interview with CBS due to air Sunday, Biden said he told Xi that violating the sanctions would be a "gigantic mistake," but said that so far there is no indication that China has actively supported the Russian war effort with weapons sales.
Biden said he delivered the warning in a phone call shortly after Xi met with Putin at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4 and expressed support for the Kremlin leader.
"I called President Xi -- not to threaten at all, just to say to him... that if you think Americans and others will continue to invest in China, based on your violating the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, I think you re making a gigantic mistake," Biden said.
"Thus far, there s no indication they put forward weapons or other things that Russia has wanted," Biden said.
The US president also dismissed the notion that the Chinese-Russian alliance effectively means the United States is fighting a new kind of Cold War.
"I don t think it is a new, more complicated, Cold War," he said.
Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbor Ukraine on February 24, resulting in ongoing devastation of cities and towns across much of the country.
- Biden says yes, US forces would help defend Taiwan against China -
President Joe Biden said Sunday that US forces would defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion, while the White House said Washington s policy was unchanged.
Asked by the CBS "60 Minutes" program whether US troops would defend Taiwan, Biden said "yes," if it were "an unprecedented attack."
This was not the first time that Biden has declared US forces would take part in a war between China and Taiwan, with the White House appearing to walk back his comments afterward. The previous time was in May during a visit to Japan.
Washington cut formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, switching recognition to Beijing as the sole representative of China, with the mainland becoming a major trading partner.
But at the same time, the United States maintained a decisive, if at times delicate, role in supporting Taiwan.
Under a law passed by Congress, the United States is required to sell Taiwan military supplies to ensure its self-defense against Beijing s vastly larger armed forces.
But it has maintained what is officially called "strategic ambiguity" on whether it would actually intervene militarily.
The policy is designed both to ward off a Chinese invasion and discourage Taiwan from ever provoking Beijing by formally declaring independence.
Asked if the latest statement from Biden signaled a change in that strategic ambiguity, a White House spokesman said: "The president has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year. He also made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn t changed. That remains true."
