U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Saturday that "the world" is acting against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, indicating that Beijing should also be part of the response.

"The world is acting in unison to repudiate and respond to the Russian aggression, ensuring that Moscow will pay a high price," Blinken was quoted as saying during a phone call, according to the U.S. State Department.

Blinken also said "the world is watching to see which nations stand up for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination and sovereignty."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang said while the developments related to Ukraine are "something China does not want to see," the matter is "complicated," not only concerning the basic norms of international relations but the security interests of various parties, according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency.

All countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected and China hopes the fighting will stop as soon as possible and a large-scale humanitarian crisis will be prevented, Wang was quoted as saying.

At the same time, Wang said Beijing encourages the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union to engage in dialogue with Russia and pay attention to the negative impact of NATO's eastward expansion on Russia's security, according to Xinhua.

Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24 after asserting that its own security was under threat with NATO's growing membership and the possibility of Ukraine joining the alliance.


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But the United States, the European Union and other U.S. allies have criticized Moscow's military aggression as "unprovoked" and "unjustified," slapping tough economic sanctions on Russia.

Earlier this week, the U.N. General Assembly adopted with an overwhelming majority a nonbinding resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demanding the immediate withdrawal of its military forces.

China and India were among 35 countries that abstained from voting.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is seen as key to helping Russia to soften the impact of the sanctions it is facing.