U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on July 27 that Washington will take measures if China continues to support Russia's defense industrial base, according to U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos, days after his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba held talks with the latter in Guangzhou during his first trip to China since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war.
Beijing has positioned itself as neutral country but has simultaneously deepened economic ties with Moscow and backed Russia against Western sanctions. It has also shaped up to be Russia's leading source of dual-use goods that feed the Russian defense industry.
China denied it was supplying Russia with arms to use against Ukraine, while the U.S. said that Beijing gave Russia "every support behind the scenes," threatening to impose more sanctions against the country.
"The secretary reiterated serious concern with PRC (People's Republic of China) support for Russia’s defense industrial base and made clear that if the PRC does not act to address this threat to European security, the United Stares will continue to take appropriate measures to do so," Miller said.
In addition, Blinken "made clear" that Washington, along with other partners, will advance their vision "for a free and open" Indo-Pacific.
After Kuleba's visit to China, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Beijing confirmed it would not supply Moscow with weapons. According to the foreign minister, China is "unshakably" committed to Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Sonya Bandouil
