Top Chinese officials signal a harder stance against Western efforts on Ukraine and other China's fronts.

"China has come under increasing pressure from the United States and its allies to use its influence on Russia to stop the Ukraine events. Washington has also publicly accused China of considering sending weapons to Russia, prompting a flurry of warnings from Western officials that Beijing would face consequences for such an action.

Now, China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has signaled in uncommonly blunt terms that he will take a harder stance against what he perceives as an effort by the United States and its allies to block China on a several fronts, including its support for Russia.

“Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-around containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our country’s development,” Mr. Xi said in a speech on Monday, according to China’s official news agency.

Mr. Xi’s meeting with President Biden in November had raised hopes that Beijing and Washington might try to arrest the downward spiral in relations. Tensions have since only escalated over American support of Taiwan, China’s unwillingness to join sanctions against Russia and the downing of a Chinese spy balloon over the United States.

The Biden administration has depicted Mr. Xi as seeking to reshape the United States-led international order to bolster Beijing’s interests. China’s close alignment with Russia, at a time when the West is seeking to isolate Moscow, has intensified concerns about a new version of the Cold War.

“This is the first time to my knowledge that Xi Jinping has publicly come out and identified the U.S. as taking such actions against China,” said Michael Swaine, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. “It is, without doubt, a response to the harsh criticisms of China, and of Xi Jinping personally, that Biden and many in the administration have leveled in recent months.”

China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, the former ambassador to the United States, denied the allegation Beijing is considering sending weapons to Russia and criticized U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. He blamed an “invisible hand” — the United States, in other words — for escalating the conflict in Ukraine.

China “is not a party to the crisis and has not provided weapons to either side of the conflict,” Mr. Qin said. “So on what basis is this talk of blame, sanctions and threats against China? This is absolutely unacceptable.”"