China Needs to Speak Up, Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: White House

China Needs to Speak Up, Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: White House
White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on Feb. 25, 2022. (Paul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Frank Fang
2/27/2022
Updated:
2/28/2022

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.

“This is not a time to stand on the sidelines. This is a time to be vocal and condemn the actions of President Putin and Russia invading a sovereign country,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC on Feb. 27.

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.

China has publicly spoken in favor of Ukrainian sovereignty. However, the communist regime abstained from voting on a United Nations Security Council draft resolution on Feb. 25 that demanded Moscow halt its attack on Ukraine and withdraw its troops immediately. Russia vetoed the resolution, while India and the United Arab Emirates also abstained. The remaining 11 nations voted in favor of the measure.

“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.”

Her comments came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his country’s nuclear forces to be on high alert.

“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.”

Biden took a veiled swipe against China on Feb. 24 after Beijing rejected calling Russia’s military move against Ukraine an invasion.

“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.”

Australiathe European UnionGermany, Sweden, and the United States have all committed to sending weapons to Ukraine.
On Feb. 27, Ukraine’s health ministry stated that 352 civilians, among them 14 children, had been killed and 1,684 people had been wounded since the start of Russia’s invasion.
Reuters contributed to this article.