The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Zhao Lijian, said that the USA is to blame for Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine. He said this while commenting on the statement of the representative of the US State Department, Ned Price, who warned Beijing against providing Russia with weapons or assistance to wage war against Ukraine.
This is reported on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"As the one who started the Ukraine crisis and the biggest factor fueling it, the US needs to deeply reflect on its erroneous actions of exerting extreme pressure and fanning the flame on the Ukraine issue and stop playing up bloc confrontation and creating a new Cold War by taking advantage of the situation," Lijian said.
He said that China takes an "objective and fair" position towards Ukraine and also "stands on the side of peace and justice." He called US suspicions and statements about sanctions pressure.
- Officials of the Peopleʼs Republic of China, like the Russians, do not call the invasion of Ukraine a war. China has declared that it does not sell weapons to Russia, and overall exports to the Russian Federation have fallen significantly this year. Officially, Beijing claimed "neutrality" in relation to the war.
- In June, Washington expressed concern. "We have seen the PRCʼs statements about Chinaʼs neutrality, but its behavior, its rhetoric, and its actions indicate that it is something else. They are still investing in close relations with Russia," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
- On June 29, the United States blacklisted five Chinese companies for supporting the Russian military.
- In July, The Wall Street Journal wrote that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Chinese exports to Russia have increased significantly. China, despite its claims of neutrality, sells Russia the goods it needs to continue the war.