US to watch China “very closely” ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia

March 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, has assured that China will be watched “very closely” by the United States and other neighboring countries, before the visit of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to Moscow, where he has met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to express his support and strengthen relations between the two countries.

“We are concerned that China will again call for a ceasefire that leaves Russian troops inside Ukrainian sovereign territory, and any ceasefire that does not include the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine would ratify Russia’s illegal conquests,” he said. the spokesperson.

In this sense, he has stated that the US authorities “encourage President Xi to play a constructive role by speaking with President Zelenski, something he has not done since Russia began the invasion”, in addition to “encouraging” the Chinese president to “press ” directly to Putin to “respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“The world and China’s neighbors will be watching very closely,” he said Monday at a press conference, where the spokesman for the United States National Security Council, John Kirby, was also present, reaffirming the position of the United States United on future of China-Russia relationship: “I think it’s a marriage of convenience, not one with affection.”

“We don’t know if there will be any kind of deal (on selling lethal weapons to Russia), but we think China hasn’t ruled it out yet,” Kirby said.

Thus, he has stated that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, is interested in speaking with Xi by phone, but it has not yet been possible due to the “busy schedule” of the Chinese president, although he has confirmed his intention to send the Secretary of State , Antony Blinken, to Beijing, a visit that, he stressed, was “postponed, not cancelled.”

During his visit to Moscow on Monday, Xi Jinping also expressed his confidence that his Russian counterpart will win the presidential elections scheduled for March next year.

“I know that next year there will be presidential elections in your country. Thanks to your strong leadership, Russia has made important progress in recent years in achieving prosperity,” Xi said, according to the Russian press, in statements that They have caught the attention of the Russian media because Putin has not yet confirmed whether he will stand for election.