The White House is confident that China has not supplied weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine conflict, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday.
Sullivan was asked for an update on the issue ahead of a meeting on Wednesday between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Biden is hosting Xi along with other foreign dignitaries at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in San Francisco.
In late July, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report on what it called Chinese support of Russia “with respect to its war in Ukraine.” The document detailed China’s purchase of Russian energy and the use of the yuan in commerce with Russia, which go against the sanctions that the US pushed for. It also described the supply of dual-use parts, such as semiconductors used in navigation equipment, as a form of support for Russia’s military action.
Washington has repeatedly warned Beijing against providing weapons to Moscow, despite Chinese assurances that it has no intention to become involved in the conflict on either side, and has instead sought a diplomatic resolution. Last month, the US sanctioned 42 Chinese companies for allegedly supporting Russian military production in defiance of trade restrictions.
China’s position on the Ukraine crisis has put it at odds with the US, which claims that Russia has become an international “pariah.” Some US officials have accused Beijing of actively supporting Moscow rather than maintaining neutrality.
Beijing has blamed NATO’s expansion in Europe for triggering the crisis in Ukraine and has denounced the use of unilateral sanctions by the US and its allies as a tool of geopolitical pressure. Washington is stuck in a “Cold War mentality,” Chinese officials have said.
Moscow perceives the Ukraine conflict as part of a Western proxy war against Russia, which is being waged in an attempt to preserve US hegemony on the world stage.