STORY: Speaking on the heels of a visit to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Blinken said if Russia was allowed to attack its neighbor with impunity, it would "open a Pandora's box" for would-be aggressors and lead to a "world of conflict."

Russia's invasion has led to debates over how the war will affect China's military thinking regarding Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing sees as sovereign Chinese territory.

"I think if China’s looking at this – and they are looking at it very carefully – they will draw lessons for how the world comes together, or doesn’t, to stand up to this aggression," Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing.

Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted one another as "dear friend" when they met in the Kremlin, and discussed China's proposals for a resolution to the Ukraine conflict.