Biden And Xi To Hold Call Shortly

09:00 ET 13:00 GMT: President Biden will hold a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

• The call follows a seven-hour meeting between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Rome earlier this week.
• Details of the precise nature of that meeting have been scarce but it appears to have laid the groundwork for today’s Biden-Xi call.
• The Sullivan-Jiechi meeting came amidst speculation that China was approached by Russia to provide direct military and economic support and it is unlikely that a Xi-Biden call would be taking place unless the White House perceived China’s role in Russia remained open to influence.
• There are concerns within China over exposure to Western sanctions and Xi was forced to stabilise fluctuating Chinese markets this week. The prospect of Western sanctions on China are likely to concern Xi more than Putin as the CCP derives much of its legitimacy through economic growth.
• Biden is likely to push Xi to act as a mediator in the war as there is a widely held belief that Xi is one of the few world leaders in a position to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to change course.
• White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the call 'would cover a range of issues beyond the war in Ukraine.’ She went on to say that it will be, ‘an opportunity for the president to assess where President Xi stands on Ukraine.’
• The White House has said that the president will be direct and make clear of the consequences of closer Chinese collaboration with Russia although it is currently unclear what those consequences would be.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: ‘We believe China has a responsibility to use its influence with President Putin and to defend the international rules and principles that it professes to support.’