let's go right to beijing, our janis mackey frayer. what did the chinese media say? jinping is still ongoing. it got under way just after 9:00 by video. some initial lines that are being reported from the official state agency. conflict is not in the interest of anyone. peace and security is the most treasured thing of the international communities. these are believes that we were told that would be china's position going into this meeting. china wanted to be known that it was the u.s. that had initiated this call and here in beijing it was being viewed very much as a sign that the u.s. needed china in order to stop the conflict in ukraine. what president biden is looking for of course is some sort of commitment from president xi that china will not offer any sort of tangible support to russia that would advance the crisis in ukraine. it is not entirely clear this sort of commitment that president biden may walk away with. we know that the china/russia relationship is one that deepened in recent years and one where president xi and vladimir putin standing side by sid

joining us now is nbc cress correspondent janis mackey frayer in beijing.e both sides preparing for the call and what do they go into it in terms of with expectations? >> reporter: well, this is probably not going to be a friendly call. there are very low levels of trust going into it and of course this heightened concern that moscow has asked beijing for help and that beijing is actually considering it. president biden is likely to warn xi jinping against the risks of supporting russia in its war, be that military assistance, economic assistance, even the rhetorical support that china has been offering putin is not without value. now, xi jinping is going into this trying to present china as a neutral player and of course there's a lot of skepticism around that. china/russian relations have deepened in recent years under xi and putin, they've met dozens of times and have formed a strategic alliance against this motion of u.s. influence and influence from the west. so in that sense, jonathan, president biden probably isn't going to have much luck in changing

joining us now from beijing is nbc news janis mackey frayer. we know about how many people were in that plane, injured, people who may have lost their lives? >> reporter: well, so little is known about why the plane went down, but the first rescue crews have arrived to the scene. there was a fire in the forest around the crash site. and they're reporting back that there are no signs of life. they're finding fragments of the plane, bits of debris suggesting that the plane almost disintegrated upon impact. what we do know is that the plane appeared to fall from the sky. flight data showed that it lost speed and altitude very quickly, about 130 miles out from the destination. it took off from hunan province just after 1:00 this afternoon. it was supposed to be a two-hour trip. in the meantime, china eastern, the airline, is grounding its entire fleet of boeing 737-800s until they can determine what happened. the president here xi jinping issued a statement saying he was shocked by the crash and he ordered hundreds of rescue workers to go to site t

russia asked china for military equipment and assistance we go to beijing with nbc's janice macky frayerhave they confirmed whether china has asked for that help? >> they've set out the ministry of foreign affairs briefings that they know-nothing about requests about military assistance or equipment. this is coming as jake sullivan, the national security advisor, is set to meet with the top diplomat the last time these two men met, there were fireworks it was in alaska there is some expectation there will be more common ground today. china has said it wants to deescalate this situation in ukraine. what china isn't saying is the extent they'll go to help facilitate that and it isn't clear what the u.s. wants out of this meeting whether it's going to issue a warning to china about the risks that would come with bailing out russia here's what jake sullivan had to say yesterday on "meet the press. >> we have made the clear, not just to beijing, but every country in the world that if they think that they can basically bail russia out, they can give russia a work around to the sanctions we've

frayer electric and electrical industry. thank you so much for stepping up and being a partner in this prefab project. we're definitely making history. center thank you for sending your apprentices. we're so glad to be able to work with you on this work force training effort. this is a wonderful way to elevate our youth. our project support team. the manufacturer of these amazing units. this is the first time in history that we've ever used these units, ever. so we're excited to show case them and, of course, a very special thank you to our architecture team at gensler. without their countless hours, we would not be able to bring this project to life. so most importantly is our pilot partnership with the city, with san francisco, with h.s.h., the partners. thank you so much for providing the land and the operating dollars for this site. the tipping point community on thank you so much for being our cornerstone funder. you guys stepped up first. you will always have the bragging rights. of course, urban alkamine. daily, build

janis mackey frayer. the olympics is a powerful platform, even though there are areas of censorship but to express this opposition to russia. >> it is a shame the people of china didn't get to hear those words as well. joined by somara theodore. not looking like winter weather in places. >> it could catch you off guard, the warmup on the way. start by looking at current temperatures. 34 in new york, albany, how are you doing, 14 degrees. harrisburg, 30 degrees. but a warmup is on the way. we have influx of warmer air coming up from the gulf and the south, it will start to feel like spring around these parts. here's a look. nashville, 79 degrees today, this afternoon. beckley, 74. montgomery, alabama, 82. notice that number in the orange boxes, close to hitting records. east coast tomorrow, up to 56 weather stations could hit record highs for your sunday. raleigh, 82 degrees. the cool down is coming back. >>> right now, still seeing a few scattered showers around the bay area, around the santa cruz mountai

. >>> joining us from beijing nbc news foreign correspondent janis mackey frayer.m chinese officials. >> reporter: well, the last time that chinese top diplomat yang jiechi met with jake sullivan it did not go well. there's expectations it could be a frank meeting between the two sides, what a lot of people are looking at as a real fork in the talks. they're heading into the talks with multiple reports that the u.s. has reasons to believe russia has asked china for military assistance and equipment. now, there are no details on the scope of this apparent request. it isn't clear what russia would be looking for from china or why they would need weaponry three weeks into an invasion. some russian analysts think that, if anything, maybe they would be looking for transport aircraft, but typically china is a client of russia when it comes to arms, not the other way around. officially, china's foreign ministry spokesperson today called the report, quote, malicious disinformation and completely blew it off. now, going into the meeting there are a lot of complexities. it i

a boeing 737 crashed just hours ago, 132 people on board, nbc's janis mackey frayer joins us from beijinge latest. details are still fuzzy but what is the latest you're hearing from there? >> reporter: good morning. there is still very little information about why this plane went down. happened about five hours ago. but there are some videos starting to come in as rescue workers reach the crash site. this morning a catastrophic plane crash in southern china, debris on the ground, smoke rising from the area, where the boeing 737 apparently went down. chinese state tv is sharing pictures of the aftermath. flight 5735 left the airport just after 1:00 p.m. here, heading over the mountains toward gaungzhou what was supposed to be less than a two-hour trip. but the plane abruptly lost speed and altitude about 130 miles out according to flight data. chinese civil aviation authority said radar contact was lost. authorities confirm 123 passengers and 9 crew on board. emergency crews scrambling to reach them. china eastern airlines turned its website dark with so little known about survivors. it is

. >> peter alexander and janice mackey frayer. and peter alexander.eon, thanks very much for being with us. first, your reaction to russia's attacks, increasingly hitting civilians as their ground assault is not progressing. so, they are long-range hitting civilian targets with inprecise weapons, to say the least and deliberately targeting food storage and children's hospitals, maternity hospitals. where does this end? >> well, it's a gut punch to watch the scenes of what's going on in ukraine. but what's happened here is that it's turned into a long, destructive slaug in which the russians are going to continue to use artillery, missiles, the killing of innocent men, women and children and propaganda. i think all of those are the tools they're using now. interestingly enough, in many ways, the invasion itself seems to have bogged down, which is a tribute to the ukrainians fighting them. it's clear that we are in for a long and destructive period here in the ukraine. that will make a difference as to what ultimately happens with this sovereign nation.

nbc correspondent janis mackey frayer. janis, you have been listen to the conversation, andrea talking about the ways that china has the clout. but what are the pitfalls if china were to side with russia or try to have it both ways? >> well, the stakes are obviously very high, but the trust between the u.s. and china is pretty low going into this phone call between president xi jinping and president biden, and certainly with the concerns that moscow has asked beijing for assistance and that beijing might be considering it. china wants to go into the call appearing to be the neutral player. it is certainly debatable from where you are in the world, but there's no doubt that china/russia ties have deepened in recent years, particularly under these two men. they have met dozens of times. they have declared a friendship with no limits. in recent days russian officials have publicly said that they are counting on china's support to help it weather the sanctions from the u.s. and the west. this partnership has taken shape mainly

frayer electric and electrical industry. thank you so much for stepping up and being a partner in this prefab project. we're definitely making history. center thank you for sending your apprentices. we're so glad to be able to work with you on this work force training effort. this is a wonderful way to elevate our youth. our project support team. the manufacturer of these amazing units. this is the first time in history that we've ever used these units, ever. so we're excited to show case them and, of course, a very special thank you to our architecture team at gensler. without their countless hours, we would not be able to bring this project to life. so most importantly is our pilot partnership with the city, with san francisco, with h.s.h., the partners. thank you so much for providing the land and the operating dollars for this site. the tipping point community on thank you so much for being our cornerstone funder. you guys stepped up first. you will always have the bragging rights. of course, urban alkamine. daily, build

joining us now, nbc's carol lee covering the white house, jannie mackie frayer and the author of "thehat are your sources inside the white house telling you about this call? what's the another's goal here? >> reporter: the president's goal overall is to further isolate russia on the world stage, and what the white house has said is that this is an opportunity for the president to assess where president xi stands when it comes to the war in ukraine, specifically the white house wants to ensure that china does not provide russia with military aid, which u.s. officials say that russia has asked china for along with economic help to bail russia out from some of those punishing sanctions from the west. and so one of the things that they're ultimately looking for is for china to come out and condemn russia's actions in ukraine. that's something that china has not yet done. another question, chris, that's hanging over this is whether there's some role for china to use its influence with russia to try to ultimately end the violence in ukraine. now, when it comes to those costs that the u.s. s

joining us now is nbc's janis mackey frayer in beijing, the worst airline disaster in more than a decadeore do they know? >> reporter: well, the rescue crews are at the scene tonight. they're combing the area for clues. they're finding fragments and they're finding debris, but they're not finding any signs of life. 123 passengers on board along with nine crew. what we know at this point is that flight 5735 took off from kunming airport just after 1:00 local time today, heading over the mountains to guangzhou, about an hour into it, 130 miles out of guangzhou, the plane abruptly lost speed and altitude, according to the flight tracking platform, the plane was at 29,100 feet, and then plunged 21,000 feet in just over a minute. and then it appeared to regain altitude, but then continued to plunge. the civil aviation authority here said that radar contact was lost. now, weather doesn't seem to be a factor in the area. china does have a decent aviation safety record, something that officials here credit to the newer fleets of planes as well as very strict flying rules. the plane was a boeing

frayer electric and electrical industry. thank you so much for stepping up and being a partner in this prefab project. we're definitely making history. center thank you for sending your apprentices. we're so glad to be able to work with you on this work force training effort. this is a wonderful way to elevate our youth. our project support team. the manufacturer of these amazing units. this is the first time in history that we've ever used these units, ever. so we're excited to show case them and, of course, a very special thank you to our architecture team at gensler. without their countless hours, we would not be able to bring this project to life. so most importantly is our pilot partnership with the city, with san francisco, with h.s.h., the partners. thank you so much for providing the land and the operating dollars for this site. the tipping point community on thank you so much for being our cornerstone funder. you guys stepped up first. you will always have the bragging rights. of course, urban alkamine. daily, build

frayer electric and electrical industry. you so much for stepping up and being a partner in this prefab project. we're definitely making history. center thank you for sending your apprentices. we're so glad to be able to work with you on this work force training effort. this is a wonderful way to elevate our youth. our project support team. the manufacturer of these amazing units. this is the first time in history that we've ever used these units, ever. so we're excited to show case them and, of course, a very special thank you to our architecture team at gensler. without their countless hours, we would not be able to bring this project to life. so most importantly is our pilot partnership with the city, with san francisco, with h.s.h., the partners. thank you so much for providing the land and the operating dollars for this site. the tipping point community on thank you so much for being our cornerstone funder. you guys stepped up first. you will always have the bragging rights. of course, urban alkamine. daily, building tr

frayer electric and electrical industry.o much for stepping up and being a partner in this prefab project. we're definitely making history. center thank you for sending your apprentices. we're so glad to be able to work with you on this work force training effort. this is a wonderful way to elevate our youth. our project support team. the manufacturer of these amazing units. this is the first time in history that we've ever used these units, ever. so we're excited to show case them and, of course, a very special thank you to our architecture team at gensler. without their countless hours, we would not be able to bring this project to life. so most importantly is our pilot partnership with the city, with san francisco, with h.s.h., the partners. thank you so much for providing the land and the operating dollars for this site. the tipping point community on thank you so much for being our cornerstone funder. you guys stepped up first. you will always have the bragging rights. of course, urban alkamine. daily, building trust th

frayer electric and electrical industry.tepping up and being a partner in this prefab project. we're definitely making history. center thank you for sending your apprentices. we're so glad to be able to work with you on this work force training effort. this is a wonderful way to elevate our youth. our project support team. the manufacturer of these amazing units. this is the first time in history that we've ever used these units, ever. so we're excited to show case them and, of course, a very special thank you to our architecture team at gensler. without their countless hours, we would not be able to bring this project to life. so most importantly is our pilot partnership with the city, with san francisco, with h.s.h., the partners. thank you so much for providing the land and the operating dollars for this site. the tipping point community on thank you so much for being our cornerstone funder. you guys stepped up first. you will always have the bragging rights. of course, urban alkamine. daily, building trust through a trau

frayer electric and electrical industry.hank you so much for stepping up and being a partner in this prefab project. we're definitely making history. center thank you for sending your apprentices. we're so glad to be able to work with you on this work force training effort. this is a wonderful way to elevate our youth. our project support team. the manufacturer of these amazing units. this is the first time in history that we've ever used these units, ever. so we're excited to show case them and, of course, a very special thank you to our architecture team at gensler. without their countless hours, we would not be able to bring this project to life. so most importantly is our pilot partnership with the city, with san francisco, with h.s.h., the partners. thank you so much for providing the land and the operating dollars for this site. the tipping point community on thank you so much for being our cornerstone funder. you guys stepped up first. you will always have the bragging rights. of course, urban alkamine. daily, buildin