Advertisement
Antony Blinken says Xi Jinping’s trip shows Beijing ‘feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable’
- The US secretary of state calls on Xi to urge Moscow to pull back its forces, and to work with Ukraine on a peace plan
- Remarks come at release of State Department human rights review, which includes allegations of abuses against Uygurs, Tibetans and Hongkongers
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
70
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday for providing what he termed diplomatic cover for Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.
Xi’s meeting with Putin in Moscow on Monday, just days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader for war crimes in Ukraine, suggests that Beijing “feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine”, Blinken said.
Blinken discussed the Xi-Putin meeting during a press briefing for the release of the State Department’s annual report of human rights around the world.
Advertisement
“The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia – supported by China or any other country – to freeze the war on its own terms,” he said.
Regarding China’s peace proposal for the war in Ukraine, Blinken said that the US welcomed any plan that “advances a just and durable peace” – noting that the proposal included elements that the US has long supported like upholding sovereignty and independence for all countries.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x