U.S. warns noncommittal China against aiding Russia during 'intense' and 'candid' Rome meeting

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with his Chinese counterpart in Rome for seven hours on Sunday, in a meeting U.S. officials described as "intense" and "candid." The meeting was planned weeks ago as a follow-up to last November's virtual summit between President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated the statements from Chinese and U.S. officials after Monday's meeting.

Sullivan "directly and very clearly" told China's Yang Jiechi that the U.S. has deep concerns about China's "support to Russia in the wake of the invasion, and the implications that any such support would have for" China's relationship with the U.S. and its "allies and partners in Europe and the Indo-Pacific," State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday. Biden administration officials did not reveal any specific warnings Sullivan issued to Yang.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.