US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said today that China is watching very carefully how Washington and the world react to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After the visit of the Chinese president Xi Jinping in Moscow, Blinken emphasized that if Russia is allowed to attack its neighbor with impunity, it will open a "Pandora's box" for potential aggressors and lead to conflict, reports the British media.

"The stakes in Ukraine go beyond Ukraine itself, and I think they have a big impact on Asia, for example," Blinken said, noting that Japan and South Korea are Ukraine's main backers in the conflict.

The conflict in Ukraine has led to debates about how the war will affect China's military outlook on Taiwan, an independent island nation that Beijing views as sovereign Chinese territory.

"I think if China sees this, and they watch it very closely -- they will learn the lesson of how the world is coming together, or not, to counter this aggression," Blinken said, speaking before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee.

Presidents Xi and Putin greeted each other as "dear friends" when they met in the Kremlin and discussed China's proposals for a solution to the Ukrainian conflict.

Blinken added that China's political and material support for Russia runs counter to Washington's interests, but said Washington has yet to see evidence that Beijing is providing significant assistance to Moscow in the conflict.