Ian Williams Ian Williams

Will China come to Putin’s rescue?

Joe Biden appears to be trying to force China’s hand over Ukraine. This follows days during which Beijing has tied itself in knots, offering to play a ‘positive role’ for peace, but refusing to criticise Russia – avoiding even calling the invasion an invasion, and echoing Moscow’s justifications.

US Officials at the weekend briefed American news outlets that Russia has asked China to provide military equipment, and requested additional economic assistance to help cushion the impact of Western sanctions. The officials, keen to protect their intelligence sources, declined to say precisely what Russia was seeking, nor what China’s response had been. But they said they were watching closely and warned of ‘consequences’ should Beijing come to Russia’s aid.

It seems no accident that the warning came just ahead of what is shaping up to be a key meeting in Rome today between Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, and Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo and director of the party’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission. Washington recognises that China is the only country which has leverage with Russia, but is losing patience with the equivocations of Vladimir Putin’s ‘best friend’ Xi Jinping.

The scope and strength of western sanctions seem to have surprised China

‘We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them,’ Mr. Sullivan said in an interview with CNN. ‘We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world.’

Traditionally it is China that has bought military equipment from Russia, and not the other way round, with sales increasing sharply in recent years.

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Ian Williams
Written by
Ian Williams
Ian Williams is a former foreign correspondent for Channel 4 News and NBC, and author of The Fire of the Dragon: China’s New Cold War (Birlinn).

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