Ukraine war: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns China over Russia ties
- ‘The world’s attitude towards China … may well be affected by China’s reaction to our call for resolute action on Russia,’ she says
- Yellen also calls for like-minded countries ‘to stand together to defend our international order’ and ‘friend-shoring’ to integrate with nations aligned on values
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned China against supporting Russia and its invasion of Ukraine and raised the prospect of deeper economic integration with Europe and other partners embracing similar “core values and principles”.
“China has recently affirmed a special relationship with Russia,” Yellen said in a speech to the Atlantic Council on Wednesday. “I fervently hope that China will make something positive of this relationship and help to end this war.”
“The world’s attitude towards China and its willingness to embrace further economic integration may well be affected by China’s reaction to our call for resolute action on Russia,” she said, adding a call for “the need for us to stand together to defend our international order”.
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China says ‘no limits’ in cooperation with Russia
Yellen’s remarks underscore international pressure building on China to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine, where the United Nations has estimated more than 4.6 million people have become refugees since Russia invaded on February 24.
Disruptions caused by the war has also led the World Bank to warn of “a sharp global slowdown, surging inflation and debt, and a spike in poverty levels”, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.