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U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to tell Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday that Beijing will pay a steep price if it supports Russia's military operations in Ukraine, a warning that comes at a time of deepening acrimony between the nations.

Biden and Xi will speak by phone, scheduled for 9 a.m. Eastern time (1300 GMT) after warnings from Washington that Beijing risks isolation if it offers Russia greater support.

The talks will be the first between Biden and Xi since November and their fourth interaction since Biden took office in January last year and are likely to be loaded with tension.

As Biden and Xi prepared for their talks, a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday. The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, shadowed the carrier at least partly on its route. read more

China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own, and has over the past two years stepped up its military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims, alarming Taipei and Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Biden would will make clear to Xi that China would bear responsibility if it supported Russia's "aggression" and Washington "will not hesitate to impose costs."

Speaking on Thursday, Blinken said Washington was concerned that China was considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment for use in Ukraine, something Beijing has denied.

Washington is also concerned that China could help Russia circumvent economic sanctions imposed by Western nations.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth week, has killed hundreds of civilians, reduced city areas to rubble and sparked a humanitarian crisis as millions flee the country. read more

Russia fired missiles at an airport near Lviv on Friday, a city where hundreds of thousands found refuge far from Ukraine's battlefields, as Moscow tries to regain the initiative in its stalled campaign against Ukraine. read more

Ukraine has added a new front in a U.S.-Chinese relationship already at its worst level in decades, further deflating Biden's initial hopes of easing a wide range of disputes by using a personal connection with Xi that predates his term in office.

The United States and China are the world's two largest economies and Washington has been anxious to avoid a new "Cold War" between them, seeking instead to define the relationship as one of competitive coexistence,

However, China's "no-limits" strategic partnership with Russia announced last month and its stance on Ukraine has called that into question.

China has refused to condemn Russia's action in Ukraine or call it an invasion, and it has censored online content in China that is pro-West or unfavorable to Russia.

Beijing, while saying it recognizes Ukraine sovereignty, has also said Russia has legitimate security concerns that should be addressed, and has urged a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Biden's administration has threatened counter-measures if China helps Russia's effort in Ukraine, but it and its allies have not yet decided precisely what steps they might take, according to a person involved in the conversations.

Targeting Beijing with the sort of extensive economic sanctions imposed on Russia would have potentially dire consequences for the United States and the world, given that China is the second largest economy and largest exporter.

Analysts say China is unlikely to turn its back on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, but its diplomatic efforts to appear even-handed are becoming harder to maintain and closeness with Moscow could cost Beijing goodwill in many world capitals.

But Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, scorned the idea of Beijing being discomfited and instead lashed out against Western counties, accusing them of stoking fears in countries like Russia.

"Those who really feel uncomfortable are those countries that think they can lord it over the world after winning the Cold War, those that keep driving NATO's eastward expansion five times in disregard of other countries' security concerns, those that wage wars across the globe while accusing other countries of being belligerent," Zhao told a regular news briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

A seven-hour meeting in Rome on Monday between U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi was described as "tough" and "intense" by U.S. officials.

Biden's administration has not yet offered evidence of the claim that China has signaled a willingness to help Russia.

Moscow has denied asking China for military assistance, and China's foreign ministry called the idea "disinformation." read more

However, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said this week the country was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from punishing Western sanctions aimed at isolating Russia's economy from the rest of the world. (Reuters)