Tensions persist between the US and China over Russia after high-level meeting

Tensions persist between the US and China over Russia following high-level meetingWashington, 14 Mar 2022 (AFP) - The United States is “deeply concerned” about China's position of “alignment with Russia” in the face of the war in Ukraine, a White House official said on Monday, following a high-level meeting in Rome.The meeting between the American National Security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and Yang Jiechi, top diplomat of the Chinese Communist Party, lasted seven hours, was “intense” and “very frank,” he added. The source assured, however, that the meeting was being prepared since December. This official, who asked for anonymity, refused to comment on reports published by the US press that Moscow has asked China for economic and military assistance for the invasion of Ukraine. Russia, which is preparing for a default, denied this, while China accused the Americans of spreading “fake news”. Sullivan warned Beijing on Sunday during an interview with CNN: “We have let Beijing know that we will not remain passive and that we will not let any country compensate for Russia's losses due to economic sanctions.” The United States has not specified what kind of Chinese actions could provoke a US response, or what it would consist of. Washington has also blamed China for helping to spread Russian “lies” about the alleged US biological and chemical weapons laboratories in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, the Chinese communist regime has given priority to its friendship with Moscow and has refrained from asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine.AUE/RLE/ERL/ATM