China and Russia are ‘spoiling’ in public and it will ‘have to be seen’ whether China will be a ‘more responsible power’

On Fox News Channel’s “The Story” Friday, White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby hit back at Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying the country is willing to strengthen ties with Russia, saying that while the two countries are “hospitable to each other, at least in the public sphere.” But the two countries “don’t have a long history of good cooperation. And so, we’ll have to see how that plays out.” And China will have to decide whether it “will be willing to be a more responsible power in the region and around the world.” Kirby also stated that China’s actions in Taiwan are not “the actions of a responsible power.”

Kirby stated, [relevant exchange begins around 5:40] “We have long heard that China and Russia are comfortable with each other, at least in the public sphere. But we must remember that these are two countries that are not strategically aligned on every issue. They don’t have a long history of working well together. And so, we’ll have to see how that plays out. Certainly, we don’t think, it’s in China’s interest to support Russia while Russia is now – now in almost the sixth month here of an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and a Russia that is increasingly isolated from the international community. But China has a choice to make. I mean, they’re going to have to choose if that’s who they want to align themselves with, that’s the direction they want this to go, or they’re going to want a more responsible force in the region and around the world.”