According to CIA Director William Burns in a recent interview, the United States is “certain” that China is “considering” providing Russia with lethal assistance for its conflict with Ukraine.
One week after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken started openly accusing Beijing of planning such a move, Burns made the remarks in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, which aired on Sunday. Burns suggested that Blinken’s remarks were an attempt at deterrence. They come as Beijing attempts to uphold its “no limits” alliance with Moscow while continuing to portray itself as a neutral peace broker in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
We’re sure that the Chinese government is thinking about supplying lethal weapons, nevertheless. The CIA director told news presenter Margaret Brennan, “We also don’t see that a final decision has been made yet, and we don’t see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment. It would be a very hazardous and foolish bet, which is why, in my opinion, Secretary Blinken and the President felt it was vital to make very clear what the implications of that would be as well.
He subsequently continued, “I believe the Chinese are also attempting to evaluate the implications of, you know, what the worries we’ve raised are, you know, about delivering lethal equipment. When would they start to experience some really major repercussions, you know? We have made an effort to make that clear.
Beijing’s attempts to strike a fine balance between placating the Kremlin and the supporters of Ukraine have only increased tension with the West.
China was one of 32 nations on Thursday to abstain from a U.N. resolution urging Russian military to leave Ukraine right once. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, declared on Wednesday that Xi had “consented” to a meeting in Moscow. The summit is anticipated to happen in the near future.
In an interview with ABC News that aired on Friday, President Joseph Biden stated that he did not anticipate China to give Russia deadly weapons for use in Ukraine. He promised ABC’s David Muir that if such a move was made, the U.S. “will respond.”
We haven’t seen it yet, so I don’t anticipate it, Biden remarked. But I don’t expect China to take any significant action to supply Russia with weapons.
As Blinken made the U.S. judgment public last weekend, U.S. officials started talking to media outlets about diplomatic efforts to persuade China to reject the Kremlin’s request for weaponry.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, told reporters on Thursday, “Our message to the [People’s Republic of China] has been consistent: They would opt to provide lethal aid or to provide systematic help to Russia in its sanctions evasion at their own peril.” “The United States and the international community would bear costs and repercussions.”
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