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‘Don’t Make The Same Mistake’: Sen. Lindsey Graham Calls On Biden To Draft Sanctions Should China Aid Russia

[Screenshot/Rumble/Fox News]

Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
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Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called on President Joe Biden to draft sanctions against China in the event they aid the Russian war effort during a Monday interview on Fox News.

“China’s trying to bail out Putin. If Putin loses, China loses,” Graham said. “So, to the Biden administration: Don’t make the same mistake with China [as] you did Russia. If you believe the Chinese are going to help Putin survive by providing military equipment, economic assistance … put on the table for China to read sanctions that will come your way if you help Putin.”

“I will help you, as a Republican, Mr. President,” he continued. “If you will write down sanctions, secondary sanctions against China, what will happen to the Chinese economy if they bail out this war criminal, Putin. I will be your best ally in the United States Senate. Write it down now so China can read it, because nobody believes you unless you write it down.”

A senior administration official said Monday that the U.S. has “deep concerns” about China’s alignment with Russia. These concerns arose after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s meeting with Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi in Rome, Italy on Monday. (RELATED: The US ‘Will Not Allow’ China To Be A ‘Lifeline’ To Russia, Sullivan Warns)

China avoided any public criticism of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and approved more imports of wheat and signed a 30-year contract to supply natural gas to the country in February. The country also sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin on opposing the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in early February as Russian forces deployed troops along the Ukrainan border.

Russia has turned to China’s UnionPay for economic assistance since the West’s sanctions on four Russian banks, Fortune reported.