Biden warns Xi over support for Russia

Joe Biden has urged China’s Xi Jinping to pile pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, warning him that Beijing will face “costs” if it rescues Russia from intense western sanctions.

During a two-hour phone call, Biden also sought guarantees that China will not provide Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine.

It’s the first time the two leaders have spoken since a video summit in November. The call comes just a day after Biden described Vladimir Putin as “a pure thug” and “murderous dictator”. 

While China is posing as a neutral power in the ongoing conflict, the US views Xi’s refusal to condemn the invasion as implicit support for the Kremlin. Beijing has also denounced sanctions imposed on Moscow and abstained from a UN vote urging Russia to immediately stop its “aggression” in Ukraine.

This is troubling for the West. If China refuses to cut Putin off, then sanctions aimed at isolating Russia’s economy from the rest of the world won’t bite in the same way.

Anton Siluanov, Russia’s Finance Minister, has already said this week that his country is counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from punitive Western sanctions.

So will Biden manage to dissuade Xi from lending Moscow an economic lifeline?

Ultimately, it is likely to come down to what China decides is in its own economic interest.

Trade between Russia and China is worth $200bn a year and Western sanctions will mean reduced competition within Russian markets. Beijing might choose to capitalise on this – buying shares, for instance, that Russian companies wouldn’t otherwise be willing to sell. 

That being said, while China would happily watch Putin dismantle the Western-led world order, the threat of sanctions might be enough to prevent Xi from coming to Putin’s aid. 

Not only will China wish to avoid being directly sanctioned by the West, but could also be impacted by the current punishing measures through trade with Russia. For instance, Chinese companies could face secondary sanctions through the purchase of Russian oil.

Away from the Biden-Xi call, a tentative sign emerged today that China may choose to distance itself from Russia. Russia’s ambassador to the UN cancelled a UN Security Council vote on Ukraine, set to take place this afternoon, due to a lack of support from both China and India, neither of whom agreed to co-sponsor the draft text. 

The stark humanitarian crisis in the besieged port city of Mariupol could see support for Putin further unravel. One hundred and thirty people have been rescued from the basement of a devastated Mariupol theatre, bombed by Russia on Wednesday – only a tenth of those still trapped inside. 

Four in five buildings in Mariupol have been damaged or destroyed by the Russian offensive, according to officials in Kyiv. A 28-year-old who fled Mariupol and reached Western Ukraine this morning told the reporters that her “city is being wiped off the face of the earth.”