Chinese leader Xi Jinping said war is in no one's interest during a phone call Friday with Joe Biden in which the US president aimed to pressure Beijing into joining Western condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The 1:50 hour-long phone call ended at 10:53 am in Washington (1453 GMT), the White House said. State broadcaster CCTV reported Xi saying during the call that state-to-state relations cannot go to the stage of military hostilities.
China and the United States should "shoulder international responsibilities," Xi was quoted as saying, as well as declaring that "peace and security are the most valued treasures of the international community."
It was not immediately clear if Xi made any direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin's onslaught against Ukraine or expressed willingness to assist the US-led pressure campaign on the Kremlin.
In their first call since November, Biden hoped to persuade Xi to at least give up any idea of bailing out Russia.
