China slams US claims it is fuelling Ukraine war

BEIJING: China condemned on Tuesday as “groundless accusations” US claims that Beijing was fuelling the Ukraine war by supplying components to Russia which it uses for its military expansion.

China and Russia have ramped up economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts in recent years and their strategic partnership has only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict but has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.

And ahead of a planned visit to Beijing by top diplomat Antony Blinken this week, the United States had accused China of helping Russia carry out its biggest militarisation since Soviet times.

Following a G7 ministers meeting in Capri last week, Blinken said: “when it comes to Russia’s defence industrial base, the primary contributor in this moment to that is China,” adding that this is “allowing Russia to continue the aggression against Ukraine”.

In response, China on Tuesday furiously defended its right to “normal trade ties” with all countries, including Russia.

“The United States has unveiled a large-scale aid bill for Ukraine while also making groundless accusations against normal trade between China and Russia,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

“This kind of approach is extremely hypocritical and utterly irresponsible, and China is firmly opposed to it,” he said.

US officials say China has stopped short of direct military assistance but has provided dual-use supplies that have let Russia regroup in the face of a long delay in US aid to Ukraine.

Blinken last week said this included “machine tools, semiconductors, other dual-use items that have helped Russia rebuild the defense industrial base that sanctions and export controls had done so much to degrade”.