China is considering providing Russia with weapons and ammunition for the war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said yesterday.

Mr. Blinken told CBS News that Chinese companies are already providing support to Russia (including without weapons) – and new information suggests that Beijing may also provide weapons.

Blinken warned that this escalation could have “serious consequences” for China.

For its part, Beijing has repeatedly denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping is considered an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has not yet condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, maintaining a neutral stance.

“We do not accept offers from the USA”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement today that the United States cannot make demands on China.

“We do not accept pressure or coercion,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in response to a question during another press briefing.

Blinken’s remarks, however, came after his meeting with senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.

During their meeting, the US Foreign Ministry expressed “deep concern” about this, without specifying, however, where the US information about China’s possible plans came from.

Recall that earlier the United States imposed sanctions against a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite images from Ukraine to the mercenary company Wagner Group. Mr. Blinken commented on this fact, emphasizing that “in China there really is no distinction between private and state-owned companies.”

It is noted that relations between Washington and Beijing have already deteriorated after the fall of the Chinese balloon in early February. Both sides made angry statements. If China supplies weapons to help Russian troops in Ukraine, then this will inevitably lead to a serious escalation.

“How to buy a ticket for the Titanic”

This would be the most “catastrophic” thing that could happen to the relationship between the two giants, said top Republican senator Lindsey Graham. “It’s like buying a ticket to the Titanic after you’ve seen the movie,” he added in an interview with ABC News.

Blinken’s warnings came shortly before Mr. Wang’s scheduled visit to Moscow as part of China’s foreign minister’s tour of Europe.

For his part, Wang said on Saturday in Munich that China “did not sit back and add fuel to the fire” in the war in Ukraine.

He also stressed that Beijing would publish a document that would deal with the war in Ukraine, which, he said, would emphasize the need to respect the territorial integrity of all countries. He added that there are “some forces that clearly don’t want the talks to succeed or the war to end anytime soon”, without specifying who he was referring to.

Source: BBC