China is considering supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia for the Ukraine war, the United States said. However, Beijing has denied the claim.
According to a report by BBC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Chinese firms were already providing “non-lethal support” to Russia and new information suggested Beijing could provide “lethal support”.
Such an escalation would mean “serious consequences” for China, he warned. Beijing said the claims were false and accused Washington of spreading lies.
“We do not accept the United States’ finger-pointing on China-Russia relations, let alone coercion and pressure,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Monday, when asked about the allegations, the report said.
China has also denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment.
Blinken was speaking to CBS News after he met China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.
The report quoting the Blinken said that during the meeting he expressed “deep concerns” about the “possibility that China will provide lethal material support to Russia”.
“To date, we have seen Chinese companies… provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine. The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they’re considering providing lethal support,” he was quoted as saying by BBC.
The US has sanctioned a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine to the mercenary Wagner Group, which supplies Russia with thousands of fighters.
Blinken told CBS that “of course, in China, there’s really no distinction between private companies and the state”.
He was also quoted saying that if China provided Russia with weapons, that would cause a “serious problem for us and in our relationship.”
