Media Contact 202-226-8467

Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul has released the following statement on President Biden’s call with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping on Friday, March 18. The White House’s public description of the call misleadingly implied that China has not yet supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Xi used the opportunity to reiterate belligerence and threats against Taiwan, including by sailing an aircraft carrier near Taiwan’s territory in advance of the call. 

“The Chinese Communist Party has proven it is not willing or capable of acting as a constructive party in Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Rather, they are complicit – releasing a joint statement with Putin that cast NATO as an aggressor; reportedly coordinating the invasion’s timing with Moscow; echoing Russian propaganda and disinformation that Russia is using to conduct brutal attacks on innocent Ukrainian civilians; and scaling up support to the Russian economy. Empty talks will not stop the CCP’s malign actions. The United States must unleash technology and financial sanctions on Xi’s regime until it proves through action that it is stepping back from a cliff that drops into outright hostility.”

###