The U.S. Secretary of State is set to discuss with China the support Beijing is giving to Russia’s military-industrial complex, Reuters reports. Washington is seriously concerned that it is helping Russia fight in Ukraine. This is an issue Blinken intends to personally discuss with China in the coming weeks.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken intends to express US concern during his upcoming visit to China that Beijing is helping Russia build up its defence industrial base to fight in Ukraine. This is reported by Reuters, citing State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
“In recent months, we have seen materials flowing from China to Russia that Russia is using to rebuild its industrial base and produce weapons that then appear on the battlefield in Ukraine,” Miller said at a press briefing. Washington is “incredibly concerned about this,” he said.
Earlier, a Chinese embassy spokesman told Reuters that China was not a party to the Ukraine conflict and that simple trade between China and Russia should not be restricted because of the hostilities.
President Joe Biden raised the issue in a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month, after which U.S. officials said Blinken would travel to China in the coming weeks. Details of the visit have not yet been released.
Blinken raised the issue with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels earlier this month and will also discuss the issue at a meeting with G7 counterparts in Italy this week, Reuters writes.
