The White House has called on the Chinese regime to publicly condemn Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow continues its military aggression against its neighbor.
She noted that U.S. President Joe Biden hasn’t spoken with Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently, but didn’t rule out the two having talks in the future.
Psaki also acknowledged that China has implemented some sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies against Russia. But she said China should do more.
“This is really a moment for every country to decide what part of history they want to stand on,” 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.”
“This is exactly the kind of manufactured threats that President Putin has been using since the beginning of this crisis to justify further aggressive action,” Psaki said about Putin’s order. “So this is just an escalatory attempt to justify further action on their part. We have the ability, of course, to defend ourselves, as does NATO. But I think we all need to be very clear-eyed and call this out for what it is.”
“Putin will be a pariah on the international stage. Any nation that countenances Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine will be stained by association,” Biden said, without naming China.
China is Russia’s biggest trade partner for both imports and exports. In 2020, the communist regime bought a third of Russia’s crude oil exports.
China’s hawkish state-run media Global Times stated in a Feb. 27 article that China maintains a “neutral stance” over the situation in Ukraine. The outlet lashed out at unnamed Western countries for supplying arms to Ukraine, accusing them of further “escalating and extending the conflict to leave Russia mired in the mud of Ukraine.”
