'Be careful...' Biden warned Xi Jinping on West's investments after meeting Putin

A couple of weeks after comparing Xi Jinping to 'dictators', US President Joe Biden has revealed that he warned the Chinese president of getting too close with Russia. In an interview with CNN, Biden said that he told Xi following his meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin that Beijing needs to "be careful" as it relies on Western investments.

"I said: This is not a threat. This is an observation. Since Russia went into Ukraine, 600 American corporations have pulled out of Russia," said Biden.

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"And you have told me that your economy depends on investment from Europe and the United States. And be careful. Be careful," he added.

Quizzed what Xi said in response to the veiled threat, Biden said: "He listened, and he didn't...argue. And if you notice, he has not gone full-bore in on Russia. So, I think there's a way we can work through this."

Notably, it was in March earlier this year that Xi and Putin met each other when the former visited Moscow on a two-day trip. The two talked about close bilateral cooperation while criticising the West for prolonging the war in Ukraine.

Biden's statement comes at a time when US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is currently in Beijing on a four-day trip to seemingly repair the broken ties. During one of her addresses in China,Yellen said complete decoupling of the US and Chinese economies was "impossible".

"We seek to diversify, not to decouple. A decoupling of the world's two largest economies would be destabilising for the global economy," Yellen told representatives of US businesses at a session hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.

"And it would be virtually impossible to undertake."

Not Biden's first attack on Xi

Last month, during a political fundraiser in California, Biden compared Xi to 'dictators' while delivering an unscripted address.

“The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn’t know it was there. No, I’m serious. That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened,” said Biden.

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The statement riled up the Chinese side which slammed Biden saying it was an “open political provocation”.

“The remarks seriously contradict basic facts, seriously violate diplomatic etiquette, and seriously infringe on China’s political dignity,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

(With inputs from agencies)

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