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The United States has said China is “considering providing lethal support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Beijing quickly rebuffed the claim this week but experts say it may have some merit and, if China did give support, could be a “game changer” in the year-old conflict.
Here are some key questions about Washington’s claim, and its implications:
Since Russian tanks rolled over the border into Ukraine, China has offered Putin diplomatic and financial support, but refrained from overt military involvement or sending caches of lethal arms.
Chinese state-controlled firms have sold non-lethal drones and other equipment to both Russia and Ukraine, but Moscow has been forced to turn to Iran for much-needed supplies such as unmanned aerial vehicles. The United States has said North Korea has also provided rockets and artillery shells.
Washington believes that might be about to change, and on Sunday Secretary of State Antony Blinken made those fears public.
“Based on information we have… they’re considering providing lethal support,” he said of the Chinese.
Blinken provided no evidence to back up the claim — and critics will point to past US intelligence failures — but it follows the pattern of Washington releasing sensitive information to preempt and disrupt Russian war plans.
“The fact that Mr Blinken has chosen to make his concerns public suggests that the US has robust intelligence,” said Richard McGregor, a senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
Beijing did not comment directly on any closed-door deliberations, but accused Washington of “spreading false information” and “shifting blame”.
