The House of Representatives voted Thursday in a bipartisan effort to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, a decision the Senate is also likely to pass.
The House voted overwhelmingly, with a vote of 424-8, to revoke a “most favored nation” status for Russia. If passed, the suspension would be mostly symbolic: earlier sanctions of Russian oil, gas, and coal imports already cut around 60% of American imports.
The Thursday vote would make certain steel, aluminum, and plywood items more expensive to import.
— Celina Tebor
China has a particular responsibility to use its influence on Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters the day before President Joe Biden is scheduled to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
But rather than defending the international rules it professes to support, Blinken said, China is instead moving in the opposite direction by refusing to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while portraying itself as a neutral arbiter.
The U.S. is also concerned that China is considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment, something both China and Russia have denied.
During Friday’s call, Blinken said, Biden will make clear to Xi that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression.
“And,” he said, “we will not hesitate to impose costs.”
– Maureen Groppe
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