US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan plans to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Rome Monday, and will emphasize the economic sanctions Beijing would face if it assisted Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Sullivan will warn of the isolation China could face globally if it continues to support Russia, a US official said without providing details to Reuters.
US and other country officials have tried to explain to China in recent weeks that siding with Russia could have consequences for trade flows and the development of new technologies, and could subject it to secondary sanctions.
Chinese companies defying U.S. restrictions on exports to Russia could be cut off from supplies of U.S. equipment and software they need to make their products, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said last week.
This will be Sullivan's first meeting with Yang since a closed session in Zurich in October last year, which sought to calm tensions after heated public debate between the two in Alaska a year ago.
China is the world's largest exporter, the European Union's biggest trading partner and a major supplier of goods to the United States. Any pressure on Chinese trade could have a devastating impact on the economy for the US and its allies.
On Sunday, US officials told Reuters Russia had requested Chinese military equipment after the invasion, sparking concerns within the Joe Biden Administration that Beijing might undermine Western efforts to help Ukraine.
Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that Washington is watching closely to see how far Beijing is providing economic or material support to Russia.
"We communicate directly, personally to Beijing, that there will inevitably be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support for Russia to replenish them," he said.
"We will not allow that to continue and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world," he said.
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