IT, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE WONDER
WHAT EXACTLY GETS TO HIM, WHAT
FILTERS TO HIM, WHAT DOESN'T.
BY THE WAY, PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL
BE SPEAKING WITH CHINESE
PRESIDENT XI JINPING TODAY FOR A
CONVERSATION THAT COULD
POTENTIALLY SHIFT THE BALANCE OF
THE WAR IN UKRAINE.
THE TWO LEADERS ARE EXPECTED TO
TALK AT 9:00 A.M. EASTERN AS
CONCERN GROWS OVER CHINA'S
NEUTRAL POSITION TOWARD RUSSIA'S
ACTS OF VIOLENCE.
SPEAKING YESTERDAY, SECRETARY
BLINKEN ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN
THAT XI MAY BE CONSIDERING
SENDING MILITARY AID TO ASSIST
RUSSIA AND VOWED CHINA WILL FACE
CONSEQUENCES IF THAT HAPPENS.
HERE IS WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN
SAID YESTERDAY ABOUT TODAY'S
CONVERSATION.
>> WE'RE AT AN INFLECTION POINT
IN HISTORY I THINK, AND I MEAN
THAT SINCERELY, AND IT OCCURS
EVERY SEVERAL GENERATIONS.
I THINK WE ARE IN A GENUINE
STRUGGLE WITH AUTOCRACIES AND
DEMOCRACIES AND WHETHER OR NOT
DEMOCRACIES CAN BE SUSTAINED.
I'LL BE SPEAKING TO PRESIDENT XI
TOMORROW AND HE WILL REMIND ME
THAT I TOLD HIM -- HE REMEMBERS
EVERY THING I HAVE SAID
UNFORTUNATELY.
ALL KIDDING ASIDE, WE TALK ABOUT
THE IDEA HE DOES NOT BELIEVE
DEMOCRACIES CAN BE SUSTAINED IN
THE 21st CENTURY BECAUSE THINGS
MOVE SO RAPIDLY, TECHNOLOGY IS
CHANGING SO MUCH, DEMOCRACIES
DON'T HAVE TIME TO ARRIVE AT
CONSENSUS.
THAT'S WHY AUTOCRACIES WILL
SUCCEED.
>> JONATHAN LEMIRE, WHAT DOES
THE WHITE HOUSE HOPE TO
ACCOMPLISH IN THIS MEETING TODAY
WITH THE LEADER OF CHINA?
>> YEAH, THIS CALL TODAY WILL
HAVE AN OUTSIZED IMPACT ON THE
TRAJECTORY OF THIS WAR, U.S.
OFFICIALS BELIEVE.
CERTAINLY, PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL
BE PRESSURING XI JINPING TO JOIN
THE REST OF THE WORLD IN
ISOLATING RUSSIA AND VLADIMIR
PUTIN.
TO THIS POINT CHINA HAS STAYED
NEUTRAL, EVEN OFFERING SOME
RHETORICAL SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA.
THE TENOR OF THE TONE THERE HAS
CHANGED A LITTLE BIT IN RECENT
DAYS.
THE CHINESE MEDIA SHOWN TO BE A
LITTLE MORE SYMPATHETIC TO THE
POLITE OF THE
PLIGHTS OF THE UKRAINIANS BUT
NOT ECHOED BY TOP OFFICIALS.
WE EXPECT BIDEN TO TAKE A CARROT
AND STICK APPROACH.
ON ONE HAND SUGGESTING THERE
COULD BE SANCTIONS FOR CHINA IF
CHINA REMAINS NEUTRAL OR, IN
FACT, ASSISTS MOSCOW FURTHER.
THE CARROTS THOUGH, SOME
INCENTIVES, PERHAPS OFFERING
TRUMP-ERA TARIFFS ON CHINA THAT
BIDEN LEFT IN PLACE.
THAT'S A POINT AS WELL.
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS TELL ME
IF XI JINPING WERE TO SIDE WITH
BIDEN HERE THAT THE ISOLATION OF
PUTIN WOULD BE EXTREME AND HIS
ECONOMY WOULD COLLAPSE THAT MUCH
FURTHER, BUT THEY'RE NOT CERTAIN
HE IS GOING TO DO THAT.
DESPITE ALL THAT WOULD BE AT
RISK FOR CHINA, DESPITE THE
SEEMINGLY ECONOMIC BLUNDER IT
WOULD BE TO PICK MOSCOW OVER THE
MARKETS OF THE EUROPE AND THE
WEST, SOME OFFICIALS BELIEVE
RIGHT NOW THEY'RE CONCERNED THAT
THE HAWKS ARE WINNING WITHIN
BEIJING, THAT THEY, IN FACT, MAY
BE LEANING TOWARDS SIGNING WITH
MOSCOW.
EVEN KEEPING THEM NEUTRAL WOULD
BE A BETTER ALTERNATIVE TO THAT.
THIS IS THE PRESIDENT AND XI
JINPING'S FIRST CALL SINCE LAST
NOVEMBER.
OBVIOUSLY TENSIONS VERY HIGH
BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS ON THEIR
OWN, AND THIS PHONE CALL HERE
REALLY WILL PLAY A SIGNIFICANT
ROLE AS TO HOW THIS WAR
PROGRESSES IN THE NEXT WEEKS AND
MONTHS AND GO A LONG WAY TO
DETERMINING U.S./CHINA RELATIONS
GOING FORWARD.
>> YOU KNOW, ANDREA, IT IS SO
FASCINATING.
WHAT IS OLD IS NEW.
50 YEARS AGO IT WAS NIXON GOING
TO MEET MAO IN 1972.
TO TRIANGULATE THE UNITED STATES
AND CHINA AGAINST THE OLD SOVIET
UNION.
HERE WE ARE 50 YEARS LATER AND
IT IS CHINA ONCE AGAIN IN A
POSITION WHERE THEY COULD HAVE
AN OUTSIZED IMPACT, OF COURSE.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING?
>> WELL, THE ONE CONCERN IS, YOU
KNOW, WHAT DO WE DO TO PRESSURE
THEM.
OBVIOUSLY WE COULD LIFT THOSE
SANCTIONS, THE TRUMP-ERA
SANCTIONS, BUT ON THIS THE
ADMINISTRATION DOES KNOW THAT
EUROPE MAY NOT BE ON THE SAME
PAGE AS WE ARE BECAUSE EUROPE
HAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT
RELATIONSHIP, GROWING
RELATIONSHIP, TRADE RELATIONSHIP
WITH CHINA.
SO THEY HAVE TO FIGURE THIS OUT
VERY CAREFULLY.
THEY'RE SAYING THERE WILL BE
SEVERE CONSEQUENCES, BUT REALLY
WHAT WILL BE THE SEVERE
CONSEQUENCES FOR CHINA?
CHINA HAS THE MOST LEVERAGE HERE
BECAUSE U.S. OFFICIALS BELIEVE
CHINA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT
REALLY HAS LEVERAGE WITH
VLADIMIR PUTIN, IF ANYONE DOES.
TURKEY HAS BEEN TRYING TO
NEGOTIATE.
ISRAEL HAS BEEN TRYING TO
NEGOTIATE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A
RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA, A
SECURITY RELATIONSHIP OVER
SYRIA.
THEY DE-CONFLICT OVER SYRIA.
THAT SAID, REALLY BEIJING HAS
THE CLOUT, AND IT IS NOT JUST
MILITARY CLOUT, BY THE WAY.
IT IS ALSO ECONOMIC CLOUT
BECAUSE BEIJING COULD HELP BAIL
PUTIN OUT OF A CRUNCH THAT HE IS
ABOUT TO FACE WITHIN THE NEXT
MONTH WITH THOSE RESERVES THAT
WERE FROZEN AT THE CENTRAL BANK
BECAUSE A LOT OF THAT WAS PARKED
IN CHINA, A LOT IS IN SWISS
BANKS, BUT THE BASIC FACT IS
THAT HE CAN'T CONVERT RUBLES
INTO ANY KIND OF USABLE
CURRENCY.
THE RUBLE IS WORTHLESS AT THIS
POINT.
AND IF CHINA NOT ONLY PROVIDES
WEAPONS BUT BAILS HIM OUT IN
CURRENCY, THAT WOULD BE A HUGE
DEAL.
SO THERE'S TWO EDGES TO THIS.
THEY REALLY NEED CHINA.
FRANKLY, MORE THAN CHINA NEEDS
THE U.S. RIGHT NOW, ALTHOUGH THE
CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY AND
JANIS MACKEY FRAYER AND OTHERS
COVERING IT WOULD BE A BETTER
EXPERT THAN SOME OF THE U.S.
EXPERTS.
CHINA IS SPEAKING TODAY ABOUT
SOMETHING THAT THEY SAY THAT