With over two million soldiers, the People’s Republic of China has the largest army in the world, is heavily armed, has more battleships than any other nation and numerous nuclear weapons. So far, the giant empire has largely stayed out of the Ukraine conflict.
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Now Russia is said to have asked its neighbors for military and economic help. This is reported by the “Financial Times” and refers to statements by US government officials.
The request for help is said to have raised concerns in the White House that Beijing could undermine Western efforts to support Ukraine’s armed forces. Jake Sullivan (45), security advisor to President Joe Biden (79), warned China on CNN: “We communicate privately and directly to Beijing that there will be consequences in any case (…) should they try to circumvent sanctions.”
National Security Advisor Sullivan is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart, former foreign minister and top official Yang Jiechi, in Rome, Italy, on Monday.
So far there have been no official statements as to what weapons or ammunition Moscow is hoping to get from Beijing. In addition, Russia got around economicallye Assistance requested to limit the impact of the sanctions.
How is China reacting?
It is also unclear how China reacted to the request from Russia. The Chinese Embassy in Washington claimed to the Washington Post that it had never heard of the request. A spokesman claimed China would support a peaceful solution. The White House made no comment.
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The US government warned China and Chinese companies days ago to help Russia circumvent sanctions. Then Chinese companies could also become the target of US punitive measures, it said. “We will make sure that neither China nor anyone else can compensate Russia for these losses,” Sullivan told NBC television on Sunday.
Did China know about Putin’s plans beforehand?
Sullivan is scheduled to meet with top Chinese foreign policy maker Yang Jiechi (71) in Rome on Monday. It should also go to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Diplomat Jiechi was the Chinese ambassador to the United States for a number of years.
The New York Times reports that US officials believe it may be possible to dissuade Beijing from increasing its support for Moscow. The Chinese leadership could therefore be content with merely supporting Putin rhetorically.
National Security Adviser Sullivan believes China knew about the invasion – but added that Beijing may not have known the full extent of the Russian dictator’s plans. “It is quite possible that Putin lied to them as well as the Europeans and others.”