China may provide Russia with ammunition and weapons for the Ukraine war, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said, citing new US intelligence.
Chinese weapons and ammunition may be given to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, which will have “serious consequences” for China, Mr Blinken has warned
Mr Blinken told CBS News Chinese companies were already providing “non-lethal support” to “assist and abate” the Russian war effort, while new information suggests a move to provide “lethal support”, including weapons and ammunition, is imminent.
He warned the move would result in “serious consequences” for China.
Speaking to Meet the Press on Sunday, Mr Blinken said activity in China “indicates [China] are strongly considering providing lethal assistance”, but did not specify the details.
“We are very concerned that China’s considering providing lethal support to Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.
“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.
Mr Blinken did not elaborate on what details had lead the US to believe China would be providing more assistance to Russia, but said the support would be weapons as well as ammunition.
China has denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment.
The Chinese President, Xi Jinping is a known ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is yet to condemn Russia’s invasion, but publicly he has has called for peace.
He is scheduled to deliver a “peace speech” on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday, 24 February, according to Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani.
Mr Blinken met China’s leading diplomat, Wang Yi, at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. During the meeting, he expressed “deep concerns” about the “possibility that China will provide lethal material support to Russia”.
If China provided Russia with weapons, that would cause a “serious problem for us and in our relationship”, he added.
The US has sanctioned a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine to Wagner Group, a mercenary company that has supplied Russia with an estimated 50,000 fighters.
The US is the largest sponsor of military aid to Ukraine, and Mr Blinken said the US is growing increasingly concerned that China may be assisting Russia with avoiding the sanctions the West has imposed on Mr Putin’s regime following the invasion.
Chinese-Russian trade has increased, and the country is now one of the biggest markets for Russian fuel sources such as gas, oil, and coal.
Relations between Washington and Beijing have been fraught recently with tensions over trade and Taiwan. Mr Blinken’s scheduled visit to Beijing was also cancelled after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in early February.
In his interview with Meet the Press, Mr Blinken said that as the balloon flew eastwards, “it attempted to surveil very sensitive military sites. In some cases, it loitered or returned to them as it progressed east”.
The US military shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon, and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s attempts to explain were rebuffed by the Chinese defence minister, Wei Fenghe, who did not take the call.
