Some Chinese state-owned companies are supporting Russia in its war with Ukraine. The administration of the President of the United States of America Joe Biden provided the Chinese government with evidence of such assistance.
Bloomberg writes about this with reference to its own sources.
According to the publication, this aid has an economic and non-lethal military character, and also allows to evade the sanctions imposed on Russia. They did not provide any other details.
This trend alarmed the U.S. so much that officials raised the issue with their Chinese counterparts and warned them about the consequences of providing material support in the war.
Although this information is not officially confirmed, the U.S. officials have already stated that relations between Russia and China are now extremely close, and China is doing more than ever to support the Russian Federation.
People familiar with the administrationʼs thinking have characterized the activities of Chinaʼs state-owned enterprises as deliberate assistance to Russia in its military actions. At the same time, they did not specify what kind of evidence the administration has. It was only reported that the collected evidence is being studied to determine its significance.
Russia and China declared a "broad" relationship before the war, and the U.S. officials believe that China initially wanted to sell Russia lethal weapons but later abandoned the plan.
Currently, the administration believes that the Chinese government wants to help Russia, not maintain neutrality.
China fundamentally rejects any sanctions other than those agreed upon at the United Nations. And considers the U.S. calls to other countries to limit trade as a violation of sovereignty. In 2022, Chinaʼs imports from Russia increased by almost 50% compared to 2021, while exports increased by 13%.
There are thousands of state-owned enterprises in China, some directly controlled by the central government, their managers equivalent to ministers, others subject to less direct supervision. However, they are all under the influence of the Communist Party, even if not always strictly controlled.
- On January 10, the Financial Times, citing sources in the Chinese government, wrote that Beijing considers it likely that Russia will not be able to overcome Ukraine and will emerge from the conflict as a "second-rate state", already much weaker economically and diplomatically on the world stage. The FT writes that Beijing is preparing a "fundamental reset" in foreign and economic policy, with a focus on improving relations with Europe, which has suffered because of Chinaʼs stance on the war with Ukraine. European countries are motivated to draw closer to Beijing in the hope that China can help deter Moscow from using nuclear weapons, European officials and analysts say.