Although China maintains that it plays a mediator role amid the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Washington would impose consequences if Beijing provided direct support to Moscow economically and militarily.
Blinken said Beijing ought to defend the international laws, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity, that it pledges to support, and call off the Russian invasion as a close partner with President Vladimir Putin.
“Instead, it appears that China is moving in the opposite direction by refusing to condemn this aggression while seeking to portray itself as a neutral arbiter—and we’re concerned that they are considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine,” he said.
The civilian death toll climbed in Ukraine as intensified Russian attacks entered the third week. Yet, as most of the world is acting in unison to denounce Russian aggression, China has been continuously distancing itself from the conflict between Russia and the West, despite a request by Kyiv and world leaders for it to negotiate a ceasefire with Russia.
As Russia’s top trade partner over the past decade, China, on the first day of Russia’s invasion, lifted all import restrictions on its wheat, which could undermine Western sanctions against the world’s largest producer of wheat. After developing close ties in recent years to align against the United States and its allies, China and Russia announced earlier last month a “no-limits” partnership and no “forbidden” areas of cooperation.
