Biden: China Economic Future Tied to The West Not Russia

U.S. President Joe Biden asserted, on Thursday, that China is fully aware that its economic future is more closely tied to the West than to Russia.

"I made no threats but I made it clear to him - made sure he understood the consequences of helping Russia," Biden said of a recent conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.​

Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of emergency meetings in Europe, Biden added: "China understands that its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than it is to Russia."

Biden has previously warned Xi  that there would be consequences for Beijing if it provided “material support” for Russia amid invasion of Ukraine.

During the two-hour phone call on Friday, the two leaders discussed the developments with the Russian invasion and Xi’s assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calculations along with Biden’s support for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, according to a senior administration official.

The officials pointed out that the conversation was “direct, it was substantive and it was detailed.”

“The president really wasn’t making specific requests of China,” said the official. “He was laying out the assessment of the situation, what he thinks makes sense, and the implications of certain actions. You know, I think our view is that China will make its own decisions.”