For almost two hours on Friday evening, the Presidents of the USA and China, Joe Biden, and Xi Jinping talked on the phone, among other things, about the war in Ukraine. The phone call between the two, the first since the Russian invasion began, was more expected given that China is currently the only world power capable of influencing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But hopes that China would intervene in favor of a diplomatic solution to the conflict are being blocked for the time being: the phone call between Biden and Xi did not bring any significant results, but showed how far apart the positions between China and the West are on the subject of Ukraine. At present, it is very difficult for China to expose itself and jeopardize its relations with Russia in order to end the war.
The difference between the positions was quite clear in the communication after the phone call. The White House released a communiqué devoted almost entirely to the war in Ukraine, in which Biden is said to have described “the implications and consequences if China will provide material support to Russia while it carries out brutal attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians.” For several days, US intelligence agencies have been arguing that China may decide to provide financial and even military aid to Russia.
The Chinese version of the appeal is quite different: the Xinhua news agency speaks of an “open” conversation in which the Ukraine question is just one of many items on the agenda. For most of the communiqué we talk about Taiwan, and when it arrives in Ukraine, the communiqué mainly reports roundabout phrases without ever describing what is happening in the country as “war” or “invasion” in line with Russian propaganda.