Biden warns China’s Xi of ‘price’ over aid to Russia as Nato summit ends

Nato secretary general assails authoritarian regimes and Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong, South China Sea and Taiwan

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivers remarks at a press conference in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AP

Published: 1:36am, 12 Jul 2024Updated: 4:03pm, 12 Jul 2024

Beijing came under attack by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation for a second day on Thursday, as US President Joe Biden warned of a “price” over its assistance to Russia and for its more aggressive posture in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

“We have to make sure that [Chinese President Xi Jinping] understands there’s a price to pay for undercutting both the Pacific basin as well as Europe, and it relates to Russia and dealing with Ukraine”, he said while briefing the press at the conclusion of Nato’s annual summit in Washington.

Biden, who met with Xi in November of 2023 to stablise a bilateral relationship that was in a deep freeze, added that if Beijing continues to supply “mechanisms” that allow Moscow to arm its war machine, the world’s second largest economy is “not going to benefit economically as a consequence of that” and get “the kind of investment they’re looking for”.

Biden’s appearance on Thursday evening was his first one-on-one interaction with the press in eight months. The 81-year-old has come under intense pressure from fellow Democrats about his chances for re-election this fall following his poor performance in a debate against his presumptive Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump, last month.

02:58

China rejects Nato claim of being ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia in Ukraine war

Asked if he will be able to “handle” Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi a few years from now, Biden said “I’m dealing with Xi right now” and he had established “direct contact” with the Chinese leader since their last meeting.

The Nato statement on Wednesday, produced after a high-level, heads-of-state meeting, said China, its interests and reputation would suffer if it did not cease supplying political and material support to Russia’s war effort.