Blinken: China’s Support is Crucial for Russia’s Military in Ukraine Conflict
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized China’s support for Russia’s defense industry on April 19, saying Beijing is the primary contributor to Moscow’s war on Ukraine, providing Russia with inputs and critical components for weaponry.
“When it comes to Russia’s defense, the primary contributor at this moment to that, is China. We see China sharing machine tools, semi-conductors, other dual-use items that have helped Russia rebuild its defense industrial base that sanctions and export controls had done so much to degrade,” he said at a press conference following a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Capri, Italy.
Mr. Blinken warned that Beijing’s actions are fueling “the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.”
He said China cannot have it both ways—helping Russia and keeping good relations with Europe. He urged European leaders to increase pressure on Beijing.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock shared the same concern with Mr. Blinken. She said in Capri after the G7 meeting, “If China openly pursues an ever closer partnership with Russia, which is waging an illegal war against Ukraine, … we cannot accept this.”
Mr. Blinken also noted that Washington had made it very clear to Beijing and others that they should not be aiding Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
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U.S. officials briefed reporters earlier this month on military supplies that China was providing to Russia, saying that it still falls short of providing lethal aid but is helping Russia build up its military to sustain its war on Ukraine since 2022.
A Chinese embassy spokesperson responded at the time that China was not a party to the Ukraine crisis and that normal trade between China and Russia should not be interfered with or restricted.
‘Significant Consequences’
Mr. Blinken’s latest remarks followed U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s warning during her visit to China earlier this month.
Yellen said during a meeting with China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing that Chinese companies could face “significant consequences” if they provide material support for Russia’s war on Ukraine, especially support for the Russian defense industry.
“Between Chinese military equipment imports and money earned on Chinese trade and investment, the Russian military machine is now back to pre-war levels. The United States and its allies have been supporting Ukraine to hold out as long as it can to wear the Russians down,” but “CCP support has proved a lifeline for Moscow.”
“The support of Russia’s economy and military manufacturing efforts by the CCP has spurred an unconventional arms race, positioning the United States and its allies in a spending showdown against Beijing.”
China affairs observer and The Epoch Times columnist Zhou Xiaohui believes the United States has enough evidence of CCP’s lethal aid to Russia to take further actions, as he wrote: “Judging from the latest remarks of Blinken and Yellen, the U.S. government has already collected comprehensive evidence that the CCP is assisting Russia, and the CCP’s lethal aid to Russia has been confirmed. The next step is to let CCP bear ‘significant consequences.’”
Mr. Zhou believes the “significant consequences” could be continuing to impose sanctions on Chinese companies and blocking the CCP’s access to high technology, freezing the CCP’s overseas assets and the overseas assets of the CCP’s powerful families, or sanctioning members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CCP.
Required by law—Section 6501 of the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act—Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has been working with Mr. Blinken since the end of 2023 to complete and publish a report on extensive corruption and hidden wealth of the top CCP officials in the United States, including CCP leader Xi Jinping. It’s been revealed by U.S. media outlets in recent days that the report will be made public soon.
