Recently, the United States has begun to notice “worrying trends” in China’s support for the Russian military. Washington sees signs that Beijing could start secretly supplying Russia with lethal weapons, reported CNN sources familiar with the information.
The sources did not say what intelligence the United States received indicated increased Chinese support for Russia. However, they say, US officials have already shared intelligence with allies and partners at this week’s Munich security conference.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken raised the issue during a meeting with his Chinese colleague Wang Yi Saturday on the sidelines of the conference.
“The secretary of state warned Beijing quite harshly of the consequences if China provided material support to Moscow or helped Russia systematically evade sanctions,” a senior State Department official told reporters.
Vice President Kamala Harris also mention on China’s support for Russia during his speech in Munich.
“We are concerned that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the start of the war,” Harris said on Saturday. “Any attempt by China to help Russia will only spur aggression, continue killing and further undermine the global rules-based order.”
The US side believes that China is publicly trying to portray itself as a supporter of peace – Wang Yi said in Munich on Saturday that Beijing will come up with a “peace plan” for Ukraine and Russia. At the same time, in an attempt to maintain relations with Europe, Beijing is secretly encouraging Russian actions in Ukraine, considering the possibility of providing military assistance.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told CNN on Saturday that she was not sure Beijing would listen to European demands not to support Russia in the conflict in Ukraine.
“We have seen that China and Russia have signed an unlimited partnership agreement, and I think we need more evidence and more action to see that China really does not support Russia,” he said. she told CNN. “So far, we see the opposite. This is why this question is still open.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken agrees. “To date, we have seen how Chinese companies – and in China there is no distinction between private companies and the state – have provided non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine,” he said. Blinken said.
Last month, the Biden administration expressed concern about evidence it had that Chinese companies were selling non-lethal military equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine.
