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In the last few hours, senior diplomats from both countries exchanged harsh statements after information emerged from North America of an alleged intention by the Asians to provide weapons to Russia. Washington warned of consequences, Beijing spoke of lack of “qualification”, the European Union of “crossing a red line” and Ukraine called to avoid a world war. This while Joe Biden made a surprise landing in kyiv and Moscow awaits the arrival of Wang Yi.
The conflict with Taiwan, accusations of hiding information about the spread of Covid-19, the formation of the Quad transatlantic alliance, the installation of military bases in the Philippines, the sighting of alleged espionage balloons flying over international airspace…
Relations between the United States and China have gradually tightened in recent months and on various fronts, increasingly far from the cordial return that characterized the deal between the two largest economies in the world. And this time the dispute moves to another matter: Ukraine, the war and suspicions of weapons for Russia.
Who lit the new fuse between nations was the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who on Sunday He claimed to have evidence that Beijing was contemplating the possibility of supplying Moscow with weapons to sustain itself in the war in Eastern Europe.
The diplomat warned that it could be an irreversible point in the bilateral deal if China actually decides to break its neutrality. “So far we have seen that they provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine. Our concern now is that they are considering providing lethal support, based on information we have,” he stated.
Blinken, who aborted a high-level trip to China over the balloon controversy, spoke on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday during his stay at the Munich Security Conference.
The head of US diplomacy remarked that this possibility has worried them since the beginning of the Russian invasion, which happened weeks after Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met to discuss “a partnership without limits.”
However, on Monday Blinken referred to the issue again in a conference with his Turkish counterpart and stressed that there would be “problems with many countries, not just with the United States.”
At the summit on German soil, Blinken had a face-to-face meeting with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s director of foreign affairs, where he stressed the severe consequences if Beijing takes an active role on the Russian side.
China responds that the US is not in a position to order China around
Blinken’s address, just when Wang Yi’s arrival in Russian territory is expected to close a tour that included France, Italy and Hungary, went down badly in China. This Monday, February 20, he responded with a firm tone, far from wanting to put a cold cloth on the situation.
“The one who does not stop supplying weapons to the battlefield is the United States, not China. They are not qualified to give orders to China and we will never accept that they dictate or impose how Sino-Russian relations should be,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin lashed out.
Since the outbreak of the war, Beijing has forged a neutral stance between the West and the Kremlin. It has not complied with the restrictions of the international community nor has it openly repudiated or supported Russian actions – they even spoke of respecting Ukrainian “territorial integrity” – but it was established as a Moscow solution against Western sanctions.
The Chinese spokesman reaffirmed that the position of the Xi Administration is to “promote peace and dialogue”, as requested by the international community. While he urged Washington to “reflect” and act to “cool the situation” and seek peace.
However, the Chinese government’s tone towards the United States was not so conciliatory during these hours either: the Asian giant’s Foreign Ministry released a document accusing it of interfering in the affairs of other countries to solve its “world supremacy.”
The article entitled ‘US hegemony and its dangers’ explains in five points –from a critical Chinese perspective- how the North American country has moved “more boldly” since the end of World War II to maintain its status and gain influence.
According to the publication, the United States has fomented warlike conflicts of others to win the banner of democracy, on the one hand, while on the other it forges international blocs -such as NATO or the Quad- that “invoke conflict and confrontation”.
In this report, they exemplify Washington’s actions in Venezuela, citing former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, where the official admits an intervention plan to “force Nicolás Maduro to reach an agreement with the opposition or deprive the country of its ability to sell oil or gold.
Beijing listed political movements (such as the one mentioned above), its onerous annual investment in military matters or its positions in the world market to impoverish other currencies, hinder developing countries, generate instability and a consequent foreign dependence on the White House.
The tensions between the two world powers continue to advance, with important accusations and strong responses, which suggests that the dialectical correctness – weak – in which they were for years is increasingly far from being restored.
Ukraine asks China for neutrality, the European Union demands it
President Volodimir Zelenski, in testimonials with the German newspaper ‘Die Welt’, remarked that Beijing’s active participation in the war in Ukraine would lead to a world war.
The head of state, who in each speech calls for more weapons, reacted after Antony Blinken’s statements about a possible supply of lethal support from China to Moscow. “If it allies with Russia, there will be a world war and I think China is aware of that,” Zelensky said.
The president added that for kyiv “it is important that China does not support the Russian Federation in this war” and acknowledged that he would like them to be on his side, although he does not see that as a concrete possibility.
In a more dour tone, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, spoke, warning China that providing weapons to the invaders of Ukraine would be crossing “a red line” in ties with the community club.
The Spaniard explained that he expressed it to Wang Yi in a meeting over the weekend in Munich. “I expressed our strong concern and asked that he not do it,” he stressed. And although he clarified that they trust Beijing not to act, he warned that they will remain vigilant.
In other matters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that its vice chancellor, Sun Weidong, will go to Japan on Tuesday for security talks with Japanese officials, a meeting that was held regularly until it was interrupted in February 2019.
“The two sides will broadly and in-depth exchange views on security policies in Sino-Japanese relations,” the spokesman said of Weidong’s conclave with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeo Yamada.
With EFE and Reuters
