Chinese Prayer
On March 13, the New York Times (USA) quoted US officials as saying that “Russia asked China to provide military equipment and support for the war in Ukraine.” after President Vladimir Putin started a special campaign on February 24.
According to an official, Russia has also asked China for additional economic assistance, to help combat the risk of its economy being undermined by large-scale sanctions imposed by the United States and its many allies.
The New York Times reported that US officials kept the intelligence-gathering facility secret at Russia’s request, refusing to elaborate on the types of weapons or military assistance Moscow had requested. American officials also declined to discuss China’s response to the request.
Meanwhile, to CNN, the spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the US, Liu Bangyu, confirmed that he had never heard of a request for help from Russia.
“I’ve never heard of that. China is deeply concerned and deplores the situation in Ukraine. We sincerely hope that the conflict situation will subside and peace will return soon.” Mr. Liu said.
“The current situation in Ukraine is really worrying. Every effort should be made to assist Russia and Ukraine in negotiating to achieve peace despite the difficult situation.” Liu added.
However, this is not the first time US newspapers have mentioned China’s support for Russia to fight sanctions.
Last week, the White House confirmed that China was “generally complying with sanctions”. The New York Times reports that US officials are monitoring China to see if it responds to requests for help from Russia.
Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser, is expected to meet Yang Jiechi in Rome on March 14.
Mr Sullivan intended to warn Yang about future attempts by China to assist Russia in this war or to influence Ukraine, the United States and their partners.
“We are talking directly, privately with Beijing that there are bound to be consequences for efforts to evade large-scale sanctions or help Russia to evade them.”Mr Sullivan said on CNN.
He stated: “We will not allow that to continue or leave the door open for Russia to escape economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world.”
Sullivan did not specify the possibility of military assistance from China.
Mr Luu Bang Vu added: “The situation in Ukraine today is really worrying. Every effort should be made to assist Russia and Ukraine in negotiating to reach peace whether the situation is difficult or out of control.”
US is monitoring China
The Biden administration is sending a signal to China about the consequences of “aligning with Russia” and the penalties it will face if it continues or increases its support for Moscow.
White House adviser Sullivan said China “knew in advance that the campaign was going to take place, or at least Vladimir Putin was planning something”, but added that China may not be fully aware of the leader’s plans.
Mr Xi has met Mr Putin 38 times as head of state, more than any other head of state, and the two countries have had poor relations with the US in recent years. .
Current and former US officials say the meeting in Rome is important, given the issue of the Ukraine war and the potential for Russia and China to form an alliance against the US and its allies in the years to come. .
Evan Medeiros, a professor at Georgetown University who served as senior director for Asia on the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said: “This meeting is very important and could be a defining moment in political relations.”
On February 4, China and Russia issued a 5,000-word joint statement saying their partnership was “without limits” when Putin met with Xi before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
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