US diplomatic chief Antony Blinken said on Sunday that China was considering sending weapons to Russia for its offensive in Ukraine and warned Beijing that any delivery would “cause a serious problem”.
“The concern we have now is based on the information we have that they are considering providing lethal support” to Moscow for use in the invasion of Ukraine, Blinken told CBS, specifying that such an action would include “everything from munitions to the weapons themselves”. “.
Blinken made similar comments in a series of interviews with US television from Germany, where he attended Saturday’s Munich security conference and met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, a conversation that US diplomacy described as “candid and direct”.
The US Secretary of State has warned of the “implications and consequences” for China if it is found to provide “material support” to Russia in Ukraine or help the country escape Western sanctions for its invasion, he said. reporting on the two-way conversation.
Taken together, the US comments appear to be one of the clearest warnings that China may be willing to go beyond rhetorical, political or diplomatic support for Russia and help it with weapons in its war in Ukraine.
Speaking to ABC on Sunday, Blinken stressed that US President Joe Biden had warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping back in March not to send weapons to Russia.
Since then, “China is making sure that that line is not crossed, delaying even the sale of lethal weapon systems for use on the battlefield,” said a source in the Biden administration familiar with the matter.
Source: DN
