Chinese foreign minister pledges not to provide lethal aid to Russia
Mike Brest
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China won’t sell lethal aid to Russia, the country’s foreign minister said on Friday.
Beijing has attempted to maintain a neutral arbiter regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine while supporting the Kremlin rhetorically and economically against U.S. and Western sanctions.
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“Regarding the export of military items, China adopts a prudent and responsible attitude,” Qin Gang said at a news conference, according to the Associated Press. “China will not provide weapons to relevant parties of the conflict, and manage and control the exports of dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations.”
He represents the highest-level official to say publicly they would not provide lethal aid and would regulate the export of items to Russia that have dual civilian and military purposes.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned in February that the United States had intelligence suggesting China was considering providing arms and ammunition to Russia, though officials have reiterated that they still haven’t seen it happen yet. Blinken said that such involvement in the war would be a “serious problem.”
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told the outlet in a statement, “As we’ve said all along, we don’t believe it’s in China’s best interest to move in that direction. We will continue to monitor closely.”
One of the classified U.S. military documents allegedly released by Massachusetts air national guardsman Jack Teixeira, 21, supposedly revealed that China’s Central Military Commission had “approved the incremental provision” of weapons to Russia, according to the Washington Post.
The document was dated Feb. 23, which is four days after Blinken announced the declassified U.S. intelligence about a possible weapons sale.
“We have not seen evidence that China has transferred weapons or provided lethal assistance to Russia. But we remain concerned and are continuing to monitor closely,” a senior administration official told the outlet.
While Beijing may not have followed through with this alleged agreement, U.S. officials have stressed the significance of a growing Moscow-Beijing relationship and the threat it poses to U.S. interests.
Xi Jinping was in Moscow last month, where he and Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated their economic support and allied stance against the West, but the Chinese leader left without publicly committing to providing Russia with the weapons and ammunition it needs to refill its depleted stockpiles.
China announced a 12-point proposal to end the war in February, though it heavily favored Russia to the point that it was a nonstarter for Ukraine. It would have enacted a ceasefire that U.S. officials said would essentially solidify Russia’s occupation in certain areas of Ukraine while giving them time to resupply for another offensive.
The U.S. and Beijing have continued to clash in recent months over an array of incidents and issues outside of the war in Ukraine.
A Chinese spy balloon traversed the U.S., flying over sensitive U.S. military bases before the military ultimately shot it down once it left the airspace above the U.S. and was over the Atlantic. Blinken was expected to travel to China days after this, but his trip was ultimately postponed.
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More recently, China objected to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California earlier this month. The Taiwanese president made several stops on her “transit” through the U.S. as she returned from a diplomatic mission to Central America.
Beijing claims Taiwan as a part of its territory, while the island is self-governed and considers itself an independent nation. Xi has said he wants the military prepared to take Taiwan by force, if it chooses to do so, by 2027.