20220324 拜登白宮記者會有關習近平的部份

20220324 拜登白宮記者會有關習近平的部份

Q    Hi.  Thank you, Mr. President.  So you’ve warned about the real threat of chemical weapons being used.  Have you gathered specific intelligence that suggests that President Putin is deploying these weapons, moving them to position, or considering their use?

And would the U.S. or NATO respond with military action if he did use chemical weapons?

THE PRESIDENT:  You know, on the first question, I can’t answer that.  I’m not going to give you intelligence data, number one.

Number two, we would respond.  We would respond if he uses it.  The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use.

Josh, of Bloomberg.

Q    Perhaps I’ll just project, Mr. President.  Thank you very much.

THE PRESIDENT:  If I had your voice, I’d had been elected a lot earlier.  (Laughter.)

Q    (Microphone is extended towards press member.)  Okay.  I’ll give — I’ll give it a try.  It’s got a long arm.  Thank you.

Can you talk to us about two things, sir: One, since your conversation with President Xi of China, have you seen any indications of action or lack of action from China that has led you to believe whether they will intervene and help Russia either with the sale of arms or the provision of supplies to support this war in Ukraine?
And secondly, can you say whether this — the conversation today turned to the subject of food shortages, and what the U.S. will do to address wheat shortages, in particular, as a result of this war?  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  On the first question relating to President Xi Jinping of China, I had a very straightforward conversation with Xi — now, I guess, it’s six days ago, seven days ago — in that range.

And I made it clear to him — I made no threats, but I made it clear to him that — make sure he understood the consequences of him helping Russia, as had been reported and as what was expected.

And I made no threats, but I pointed out the number of American and foreign corporations that left Russia as a consequence of their barbaric behavior.  And I indicated that I knew how much he — because we had long discussions in the past about his interest in making sure he has economic relations and economic growth with Europe and the United States — and indicated that he’d be putting himself in significant jeopardy and those — in those aims if, in fact, he were to move forward.

I am not going to comment on any detail about what we know or don’t know as a consequence of that conversation.  But tomorrow is — is it tomorrow or next Monday that Ursula is having that conference with China?

WHITE HOUSE AIDE:  April 1st.

THE PRESIDENT:  The 1st — on April 1st.

We’ve had discussions — because I think that China understands that its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than it is to Russia.  And so I — I’m hopeful that he — he does not get engaged.

We also did discuss today that there’s a need for us to set up, NATO to set up, and — and the EU — to set up a system whereby we have an organization looking at who has violated any of the sanctions, and where and when and how they violated them.  And that’s something we’re going to put in train.  It’s not done yet.

So, with regard to Xi, I — I have nothing more to report.

With regard to food shortage, yes, we did talk about food shortages.  And — and it’s going to be real.  The price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia, it’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well.  And — because both Russia and Ukraine have been the breadbasket of Europe in terms of wheat, for example — just to give you one example.

But we had a long discussion in the G7 with the — with both the United States, which has a significant — the third-largest producer of wheat in the world — as well as Canada, which is also a major, major producer.  And we both talked about how we could increase and disseminate more rapidly food.  Food shortages.

And in addition to that, we talked about urging all the European countries and everyone else to end trade restrictions on — on sending — limitations on sending food abroad.  And so, we are in the process of working out, with our European friends, what it would be — what it would take to help alleviate the concerns relative to food shortages.

We also talked about a significant, major U.S. investment, among others, in terms of providing for the need for humanitarian assistance, including food, as we move forward.

Tarini, of the Wall Street Journal.  Watch out you don’t get hit in the head there now.  (Laughter.)