By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a call on Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the White House said on Thursday, as the United States piles pressure on China not to provide support to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
The planned phone call was announced by White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the call is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the two countries.
“The two leaders will discuss managing the competition between our two countries as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern,” she said.
The call will come after White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan held seven hours of talks in Rome with Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi on Monday.
During that meeting, Sullivan raised concerns about China’s alignment with Russia. A senior Biden administration official said Sullivan was direct with Yang about “the potential implications and consequences” for China for providing support to Russia.
The Rome talks were described as intense but with no specific outcome.
“We have deep concerns about China’s alignment with Russia. We are watching closely if China or any other country provides support – military, economic, or other support – to Russia,” a senior administration official told Reuters.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
