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The Chinese regime could be considering providing lethal aid to Russia, according to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, which, if confirmed, would represent an unprecedented escalation of China’s presence in the Russia-Ukraine war.
“[F]or the most part, China has been engaged in providing rhetorical, political, diplomatic support to Russia. But we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine,” Blinken told ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday, after meeting with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, at the Munich Security Conference.
Wang spoke at the conference on Feb. 18 and said the Chinese regime is working on a “peace proposal” to reconcile the two sides of the conflict. Blinken indicated that the stipulated intention appears to run contrary to what is indicated in intelligence held by the United States.
“There are various kinds of lethal assistance that they are at least contemplating providing, to include weapons,” Blinken said, adding that Washington would soon release additional details. He warned that Beijing’s said assistance to Russia would mean “serious consequences” for U.S.-China relationship.
Wang and Blinken’s meeting marked the first face-to-face exchange between the two sides since the surveillance balloon incident that set off an uproar in the United States and forced Blinken to cancel a planned visit to Beijing, bringing the relationship between the leader of the liberal democratic world and the leader of authoritarian governments to a freezing point.
