US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that China is considering giving Russia arms and ammunition for the Ukraine war.
Mr. Blinken told JEE News that Chinese companies were already providing “non-lethal assistance” to Russia — and new information suggested that Beijing “could provide lethal assistance.”
He warned that the escalation would mean “serious consequences” for China.
China has denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has not yet condemned Russia’s attack, but has tried to remain neutral in the conflict and called for peace.
China’s foreign ministry said it would not accept “finger pointing” and “coercion” by the US on relations with Russia.
Mr Blinken was speaking to JEE News after meeting with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
He said that during the meeting he expressed “deep concern” about the possibility that China would provide lethal material support to Russia.
“To date, we have seen Chinese companies…provide non-lethal assistance to Russia for use in Ukraine. Our concern now is based on the information we have that they are providing lethal assistance. are considering,” he said.
He did not say what information the US has received about China’s possible plans. When pressed on what the U.S. thought China could offer Russia, he said it would mainly be weapons as well as ammunition.
The United States has imposed sanctions on a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite images of Ukraine to the mercenary Wagner Group, which supplies thousands of fighters to Russia.
“Of course, in China, there’s really no distinction between private companies and the state,” Mr. Blinken told JEE News.
He added that if China supplies arms to Russia, it will create a serious problem for us and our relations.
Relations between Washington and Beijing were already strained after the US downed an alleged Chinese spy balloon in early February. Both sides exchanged angry words, but both sides seemed equally embarrassed by the incident and ready to move on.
But if China supplies weapons to support Russian forces in Ukraine, US-China relations will deteriorate significantly.
Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said it would be the most “disastrous” thing that could happen to relations between the two superpowers.
“It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after seeing the movie,” he told JEE News. “Do not do this.”
Mr Blinken’s warning is clearly designed to prevent China from doing so.
Mr Blinken also said the US was concerned that China was helping Russia evade Western sanctions to destroy the Russian economy. China’s trade with Russia is growing, and it is one of the largest markets for Russian oil, gas and coal.
NATO members, including the United States, are sending a variety of weapons, ammunition and supplies to Ukraine, including tanks. They have stopped sending fighter jets, and Mr. Blinken would not be drawn on whether the United States would help other countries supply jets.
“We have been very clear that we should not focus on any particular weapons system,” he said.
However, he said the West must make sure Ukraine has what it needs “in the coming months” to face possible retaliation against Russia. Russia is currently trying to advance into the eastern regions of Ukraine, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place.
The comments by the top US diplomat come ahead of Mr Wang’s scheduled visit to Moscow as part of a tour of Europe by China’s foreign policy chief.
Mr Wang said in Munich on Saturday that China “neither lazily stood by nor threw fuel on the fire” for the Ukraine war.
