The US has confronted China regarding new evidence suggesting that some Chinese state-owned companies have been involved in providing non-lethal assistance to Russia for its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Overview
In a report on Tuesday, Bloomberg cited anonymous sources saying that the aid comprised “non-lethal military and economic assistance,” such as flak jackets and helmets, which “stops short of wholesale evasion of the sanctions” imposed on Russia by the West.
The sources did not elaborate on any evidence for this claim, but stated that the current activity is “a significantly scaled-down version” of China’s “initial plan,” which was “to sell lethal weapons systems for use on the battlefield.”
US officials view the current activity as concerning and believe it is "a significantly scaled-down version of the PRC’s (Peoples Republic of China) initial plan, which was to sell lethal weapons systems for use on the battlefield", the source said.
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) January 25, 2023
Declining to provide details of the exchange, the sources added that US officials have brought the matter to the attention of their Chinese counterparts and warned them about the implications of extending such support.
Additionally, it remains unclear whether the Chinese leadership was aware of the matter prior to this revelation. Both sides have declined to comment on the matter.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters: “We would be concerned if we were to see not only the [People’s Republic of China] itself engaging in this but Chinese companies, PRC companies, doing this.”
Price added that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss the matter in the coming days when he has an opportunity to visit Beijing.
"We will continue to communicate to China the implications of providing material support to Russia's war against Ukraine," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) January 25, 2023
China-Russia Dynamic Post the Ukraine War
Over the past year, China has refrained from publicly criticising Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
During a phone call earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his newly-appointed Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, jointly rejected the US’ policy “to establish a hegemony in global affairs” to “provoke confrontation with Russia and China.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping also held a videoconference last month, wherein Xi said that there was an ongoing “tug of war” between those wanting to “revert to a Cold War mentality, provoke division and antagonism, and stoke confrontation between blocs” and those wanting to “promote equality, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation,” which was “testing the wisdom of statesmen in major countries.”