The US has warned China about supplying lethal weapons to Russia for the Ukraine war. It stated that such actions would create a “serious problem” and cross a “red line.” Chinese leaders have been urged not to make any rash decisions.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that U.S. intelligence suggests China is considering providing arms and ammunition to Russia. He warned that such involvement in the Kremlin’s war effort would be a “serious problem.” He also cautioned China against arming Russia.
Blinken said the United States long has been concerned that China would provide weapons to Russia. He pointed to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s promise to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Xi Jinping had promised a partnership with “no limits” when they met just weeks before Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.. Since then, ties between the two countries have only grown stronger.
“We’ve been watching this very, very closely. And, for 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 said in an interview that aired Sunday, a day after his meeting at a security conference in Munich with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official.
“It was important for me to share very clearly with Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem” Blinken said, as US warns China.
Russian Offensive
As the war nears the one-year mark, Putin is determined to show some progress on the battlefield. Russian forces have been on the offensive in eastern Ukraine.
“The Ukrainians are holding very strong, the Russians are suffering horrific losses in this effort” Blinken said. He estimated that Russia has 97 percent of its ground troops in Ukraine.
The Russians are eager to capture more territory. They want to achieve this before Ukraine receives the more advanced weapons recently pledged by the U.S. and its European allies.
“But what Secretary Blinken said is big news to me” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Graham said the world should “come down hard on China” if it provides lethal weapons to Russia and he advised Chinese leaders not to do anything rash.
“To the Chinese, if you jump on the Putin train now, you’re dumber than dirt” he said. “It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie. Don’t do this.”
Graham said it would be the “most catastrophic thing that could happen to the U.S.-China relationship. … That would change everything forever.”
Heightened Tensions
In recent weeks, Washington and Beijing have experienced heightened tensions. This escalation followed the U.S. shooting down what it claimed was a Chinese spy balloon. China insists that the balloon, which it used mainly for meteorological research, was blown off course.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also expressed her concern about any effort by the Chinese to arm Russia, saying “that would be a red line.”
Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a former Army vice chief of staff, said he agreed with the Biden administration’s decision to expose China’s possible readiness to provide some lethal weapons to Russia. He said it may persuade China to hold off.
“And I think coming out and exposing and I would go further and tell them what we think they are attempting to provide, China will pull back likely after that public exposure” Keane said.
Blinken and Graham appeared on ABC’s “This Week.” Thomas-Greenfield appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Keane spoke on “Fox News Sunday.”
Source: PBS NewsHour
