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As Russia continues its bloody march into Ukraine, some observers warn that China is looking on closely at the U.S. response to Moscow as it plans its next steps in trying to dislodge America as the world’s leading superpower.President Biden, asked by a reporter Thursday if he would urge China to help isolate Russia, responded: “I’m not prepared to comment on that at the moment.”Speaking on “America’s Newsroom” Friday morning, K.T. McFarland, a former deputy national security adviser in the Trump administration, wryly commented that she didn’t think Chinese President Xi Jinping was presently taking Biden’s phone calls. McFarland, who also served in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations, noted, “China is not calling this an invasion – why? Because when China goes into Taiwan, they are only saying, ‘Well, we are only taking part of China, this isn’t an invasion, this is actually just part of China.’”Also causing some alarm: a New York Times report that described how, over a period of three months, the U.S. held meetings with Chinese officials showing intelligence detailing Moscow’s “troop buildup around Ukraine.” The Times reported that the U.S. side had “beseeched the Chinese to tell Russia not to invade.” It turned out, according to the report, that Beijing shared the information with Russian officials claiming that the United States was “trying to sow discord,” noting, “China would not try to impede Russian plans and actions.”Showing the closeness of the relationship, Chinese media reported that Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone call Friday in which they discussed the situation in Ukraine.It didn’t appear as if Xi asked Russia to stop the invasion or even called it one. Rather, according to the readout, it was noted that Xi reiterated China’s support to Russia and Ukraine to resolve the issue through diplomacy. Putin, the readout noted, had explained the historical context of Russia’s ties to Ukraine and also brought up Russia’s special military operation taking place in the east of Ukraine. China also announced the previous day it was lifting all previous sanctions on Russian wheat imports.CHINA SAYS IT ‘SUPPORTS’ RUSSIA AMID UKRAINE INVASION, BACKS PUTIN’S CLAIM HE’S READY FOR NEGOTIATIONSNile Gardiner, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, told Fox News Digital that Beijing has been taking full advantage of what it’s seen as a weak America.
Analysts say Chinese President Xi Jinping is carefully watching America’s response to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(Montage: Li Xueren/Xinhua via Getty Images) | Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)”I think Biden simply doesn’t believe in a powerful projection of American might and power. Biden is a quintessentially European Union-style politician who believes in endless negotiations and multilateral solutions… He’s not someone who believes in the protection of hard power, and that’s a fatal mistake to make when you are confronting both Beijing and Moscow because it just sends a message of weakness rather than strength.”Gardiner said China continued to look ahead to the Biden administration’s response, saying that if Biden does run, and win a second term in office, that China will “become more and more powerful, and in the absence of a robust American leadership, the Chinese Communist Party is going to be increasingly assertive, aggressive and confident.” Gardiner concluded, “The world is a far more dangerous place when the United States is in retreat as we’re seeing today under the Biden-Harris administration.” Craig Singleton, a China expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) in Washington, said China needed to be careful about how it dealt with the present crisis, especially given its cooling economy. CHINA MAY TAKE ‘WRONG LESSONS’ FROM US, NATO RESPONSE TO UKRAINE INVASION: EXPERTS”China’s evolving and increasingly convoluted messaging about the Ukraine crisis reflects the tension that exists between China’s great-power aspirations and its current limitations. Beijing’s tacit support for Russia’s NATO grievances advances its goal of undermining the U.S.-led international order; however, China also remains reliant on Western capital and technology to power its economic development.” Singleton, a former U.S. official, noted that the “inherent friction will greatly complicate and, in many ways, constrain Xi’s ability to successfully navigate the fallout resulting from what is increasingly shaping up to be a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, one that Beijing is perceived as having backed.”
Ukraine supporters chanting “I support Ukraine” outside the White House.
(Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)Singleton told Fox News Digital that China’s leaders were closely watching the situation, and what they’ve seen might not be to their liking. He said they’ve been “gauging how the United States and its allies are responding to Putin’s actions. The bad news for Xi, as he evaluates potential military operations against Taiwan, is that so far Putin’s aggression has unified NATO member states.”He continued, “Chinese leaders remain deeply concerned by Washington’s ongoing attempts to build up its alliance network to counter Chinese belligerence throughout the Indo-Pacific. If Washington and Brussels are able to impose significant costs on Russia, leaders in Beijing may think twice about striking Taiwan, opting instead to continue apace with their existing strategy of retaking the island by all means short of war.”CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPSingleton also pointed out the slowdown in China’s economy that actually could lead to a rethinking of China-Russia relations. “Europe remains a top Chinese trading destination. More than a dozen European countries have signed onto China’s Belt and Road Initiative. China also remains highly dependent on oil imports to meet its surging energy demands. Economic instability and a resulting economic slowdown resulting from Russian aggression in Ukraine will absolutely test the Sino-Russian partnership.”Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appearing on the “Faulkner Focus,” was asked by Harris Faulkner if we are “looking at a new world order.” Pompeo said he was very concerned about a set of “cascading risks.” He noted he had no doubt that Xi was watching this. “These cascading crises often have marked history, and if the United States is weak, if we continue to be on the back foot, there’s a real risk that we will continue to see this,” he said.
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