‘New and significant changes’: Biden and China’s Xi wrap up 2-hour call

US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping conclude a video phone call in which Biden aimed to persuade his counterpart to join Western pressure on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, the White House says.

The two leaders end the 1:50 hour-long call, their first since November, at 10:53 a.m. in Washington, the White House says.

Xi says conflicts between states are “in no-one’s interest,” adding Beijing and Washington should “shoulder” responsibility for world peace during the call, Chinese state TV reports.

“State-to-state relations cannot go to the stage of military hostilities,” broadcaster CCTV reported Xi as saying. “Peace and security are the most valued treasures of the international community.”

“The international situation has undergone new and significant changes” since the duo’s last call in November, Xi says, according to CCTV.

“The theme of an era of peaceful development is facing severe challenges, and the world is neither very peaceful nor secure,” Xi says, adding the Ukraine crisis “is not something we want to see.”

China and the US should “shoulder our due international responsibilities, and put forth efforts for world peace and tranquillity,” he says.