BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2023) Statements by US President Joe Biden that he warned Chinese President Xi Jinping of losing Western investment if Beijing supports Moscow are irresponsible and violate the foundations of diplomatic etiquette, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday.
In a PBS Newshour interview on Wednesday, Biden said that during a phone call last summer, he warned Xi that China could lose Western investment if it supported Russia's actions in Ukraine. During the interview, Biden added that the Chinese leader faces huge problems, including in the economy, but he also has great potential.
"Such statements by the US side are extremely irresponsible and violate the foundations of diplomatic etiquette. China expresses acute dissatisfaction and strongly opposes this," the spokeswoman told a briefing.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in response to the request of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics to protect them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. Western countries have imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia and ramped up their military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine.
In December 2022, US State Department spokesperson said that the US was concerned about China's alignment with Russia amid its military operation in Ukraine and closely monitoring Beijing's activity to see if the country provided any military or sanctions evasion assistance to Moscow.
