- Antony Blinken says China is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition.
- He cautioned that escalation would have “serious consequences” for China.
- China has dismissed allegations that it has requested military supplies from Moscow.
China is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
Mr. Blinken said that Chinese corporations were already providing “non-lethal support” to Russia and that fresh information suggested Beijing may supply “lethal support” as well.
He cautioned that escalation would have “serious consequences” for China.
China has dismissed allegations that it has requested military supplies from Moscow.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and while he has yet to denounce Russia’s invasion, he has sought to remain neutral in the war and has appealed for peace.
China’s foreign ministry stated that it will not accept “finger-pointing” and “coercion” from the United States over its relations with Russia.
Mr Blinken was speaking to sources after meeting China’s senior diplomat, Wang Yi, at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
During the discussion, he conveyed “grave concerns” about the “possibility of China providing lethal material support to Russia,” he said.
“To date, we have seen Chinese companies… provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine. The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they’re considering providing lethal support,” he said.
He did not go into detail regarding the intelligence the US had received concerning China’s possible plans. When asked what the US expected China to offer Russia, he responded it would be mostly weapons and ammunition.
The US has sanctioned a Chinese business for allegedly providing mercenary Wagner Group with satellite footage of Ukraine.
Mr. Blinken told the sources that “of course, in China, there’s virtually no line between private firms and the state”.
If China delivered weapons to Russia, it would create a “major difficulty for us and in our relationship,” he warned.
Washington-Beijing relations were already strained after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in early February. Both parties exchanged harsh words, but both appeared ashamed by the encounter and eager to move on.
Yet, if China delivers weaponry to Russian soldiers in Ukraine, US-Chinese ties would deteriorate even further.
According to leading Republican senator Lindsay Graham, it would be the most “catastrophic” thing that could happen to the relationship between the two titans.
“It’d be like buying a Titanic ticket after seeing the movie,” he informed the source. “Don’t do this.”
Mr. Blinken’s admonition appears to be aimed squarely at discouraging China from doing so.
Mr. Blinken also expressed concern about China assisting Russia in evading Western sanctions aimed at crippling the Russian economy. China’s commerce with Russia is expanding, and it is one of Russia’s largest markets for oil, gas, and coal.
NATO allies, including the United States, are supplying tanks and other weaponry, ammunition, and equipment to Ukraine. They have refrained from providing fighter jets, and Mr. Blinken would not comment on whether the US would assist other countries in supplying jets.
“We’ve been very clear that we shouldn’t fixate or focus on any particular weapons system,” he said.
He did, however, say that the West must ensure Ukraine had what it needed for a potential counter-offensive against Russia “in the months ahead”. Russia is currently trying to advance in eastern regions of Ukraine, where some of the fiercest fightings of the war has taken place.
The top US diplomat’s remarks come ahead of a scheduled visit by Mr. Wang to Moscow, as part of the Chinese foreign policy chief’s tour of Europe.
Mr. Wang said in Munich on Saturday that China had “neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire” for the Ukraine war.
Mr. Wang stated that China would publish a text outlining its perspective on resolving the conflict. According to him, the declaration will stipulate that all countries’ territorial integrity must be protected.
“I suggest that everybody starts to think calmly, especially friends in Europe, about what kind of efforts we can make to stop this war,” Mr Wang said.
He added that there were “some forces that seemingly don’t want negotiations to succeed, or for the war to end soon”, but did not say who he meant.
According to Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani, China President Xi will deliver a “peace speech” on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday, February 24.
According to Mr Tajani, Mr Xi’s address will appeal for peace without blaming Russia.
During their encounter, Mr. Blinken and Mr. Wang also exchanged harsh words about the escalating dispute over an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon shot down over the United States.
Mr. Blinken warned during the meeting that the US would not “stand for any infringement of our sovereignty” and said “this irresponsible act must never again occur”.
Mr. Blinken stated that other countries were concerned about China’s “surveillance balloon program” across five continents.
Mr. Wang, meanwhile, called the episode a “political farce manufactured by the US” and accused them of “using all means to block and suppress China”. China has denied sending a spy balloon.
And on Sunday morning, Beijing warned that the US would “bear all the consequences” if it escalated the argument over the balloon. China would “follow through to the end” in the event “the US insists on taking advantage of the issue”, it said in a foreign ministry statement.
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