Russia has asked China for military equipment and economic aid to support its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials said, prompting White House concerns that Beijing might undermine Western efforts to help Ukrainian troops defend the country.
The Financial Times reported that U.S. officials said they had asked Beijing for aid, including military equipment, since Russia invaded Ukraine, but U.S. officials did not specify which Russian requests were made.
The United States is preparing to send a red flag to allies over signs that China may be preparing to aid Russia, another person familiar with the matter said. Other U.S. officials said there were signs the Russian military was running out of some types of weapons as the war in Ukraine entered its third week.
It is unclear whether China has responded directly to Russia’s request. Beijing has not condemned Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, but has repeatedly called for the two sides to negotiate a ceasefire to resolve the conflict. When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the Chinese government remained neutral.
Beijing generally considers such behavior by other countries to be their own business, as long as it does not harm China’s interests. However, if Beijing supplies arms to Russia, its neutrality stance may be untenable, and Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, will seek a third term this year, especially hope that the domestic political situation will remain stable.
In response, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the United States, said: “I have never heard of this.” He said that the situation in Ukraine is worrying, and China’s primary goal is to prevent the situation in Ukraine from worsening or even getting out of control.
The New York Times also reported that U.S. officials said Russia had also requested more economic aid from China to slow the impact of international sanctions on the Russian economy.
At a time when the outside world is highly concerned regarding the movements of China and Russia, the Biden administration announced last Sunday (13th) that White House National Security Adviser Sullivan will travel to Rome on Monday to meet with Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee. The two will focus on the United States. China’s competition control will also discuss the situation in Russia and Ukraine.
