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"Gave a thumbs up": US Permanent Representative to NATO Reveals How China Supports Russia in Ukraine Conflict
The United States believes that despite China's efforts to play a neutral role in the Ukrainian conflict, it has in fact taken a position, US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said during an online briefing for journalists.
At an online briefing for journalists, Smith stressed that despite China's attempts to position itself as a neutral country, it actually supports Russia.
“[The People’s Republic of China], given its scale, has chosen to support Russia in the war in Ukraine by providing Russia with a diverse arsenal of dual-use parts that could be used to attack Ukrainian troops and civilians,” Smith said.
However, the United States and its allies plan to continue to highlight evidence of this kind of "substantial support" from China, the envoy added.
Recall that in late July, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also threatened to tighten sanctions against individuals and legal entities, stating that China's supplies of dual-use goods to Russia "have significantly exceeded acceptable limits." In response, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China announced the introduction of new restrictions on the export of dual-use products. These include drones equipped with precision measuring equipment, lasers, infrared imaging devices and other technologies.
In December 2023, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing the Treasury Department to impose sanctions on foreign banks that engage in transactions with Russian sanctioned entities or support the supply of materials and equipment for the Russian defense industry. As a result, several large Chinese banks are increasingly refusing to process payments from Russia and limiting their cooperation with Russian financial institutions.
President Vladimir Putin, who visited China in May, said payment problems with Chinese banks could be resolved. At a meeting between Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in late August, the two sides discussed developing payment infrastructure, including facilitating the opening of bank branches and subsidiaries in both countries to support stable trade.
Chinese authorities have repeatedly denied allegations of arms supplies to Russia. The Kremlin has said it will not add anything new to China's position, while the Foreign Ministry has said the information about Chinese support is false.
Earlier at the same briefing, Prime Minister Smith said: "The current situation is not conducive to inviting Ukraine into NATO." This statement was made just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his "winning plan" to the Rada, the first point of which was to accept Ukraine into the alliance before the end of hostilities.