China could begin supplying Russia with weapons to aid Moscow with its invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned. The Secretary of State said that Chinese companies were already providing Russia with non-lethal aid but could soon step up support. The comments are sure to send already high US-China tensions soaring following a huge diplomatic row over a Chinese surveillance balloon shot down in American airspace.
He warned that the escalation would have “serious consequences” for China. Meanwhile, Beijing has denied that Vladimir Putin has requested any military equipment as Russia flounders in its nearly year-long Ukraine invasion.
Mr Blinken was speaking to CBS after he met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, at Saturday’s Munich Security Conference in Germany.
During the interview, he said the US was worried about China providing Russia with “lethal support”.
“There’s a whole gamut of things that fit in that category, everything from ammunition to the weapons themselves,” he said.
China’s top diplomat and Blinken’s counterpart, Wang Yi, told leaders at the security summit that China was working on a peace plan to end the conflict, however US intelligence has indicated otherwise.
“We have seen them 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, and we’ve made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship,” Blinken continued.
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