Washington [US], March 22 (ANI): White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said that in President Vladimir Putin and Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping sees a counterweight to the American and NATO influence in the world.

The statement by Kirby came as Putin hosted the Chinese leader Jinping.

"I think you've seen over the years that these two countries are growing close together. I wouldn't go so far to call it an alliance. ... (it's) a marriage of convenience, because that's what I think it is. In President Putin and Russia, President Xi sees a counterweight to American influence and NATO influence, certainly on the continent and elsewhere around the world," Kirby said.

"In President Xi, President Putin sees a potential backer here. This is a man who doesn't have a whole lot of friends on the international stage. They can count them on one hand mostly. He really needs and wants President Xi's support for what he's trying to do, because he's blowing through inventory," he said.

Kirby also said that the US has in some cases, significant concerns about China's behaviour, particularly its coercive and aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea.

"In some cases, we have significant concerns about China's behaviour, particularly their coercive and aggressive behaviour for instance in the South China Sea in pursuing false maritime claims, concerns about intellectual theft and some trade practices," Kirby said in response to a question by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on US' relationship with China.

Doocy had asked if President Biden thinks China is abiding by the international rules of the road.

The NCS further said: "There are other areas where we believe there is room for cooperation with China and we want to be able to pursue that, too, but in order to do that, you gotta keep those lines of communication open, you gotta have that ability to talk, particularly when things are intense like they are right now."The US on Tuesday refused to confirm a news report citing that the country provided crucial intelligence to the Indian military last year that helped it successfully tackle the Chinese at the border. (ANI)