US Issues Repeated Warnings: "Strong Consequences if China Provides Weapons to Russia"

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The Joe Biden administration has repeatedly warned that if China, which is reportedly considering providing lethal weapons to Russia, currently invading Ukraine, actually proceeds with such support, "there will be severe consequences."

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken shared this assessment from U.S. intelligence agencies in an interview with CBS's Face the Nation scheduled to air on the 19th (local time). He referred to the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin promised "unlimited cooperation" at a summit before the outbreak of the Ukraine war, saying, "We have been concerned about this possibility since the first day of the invasion."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Secretary Blinken also confirmed that he conveyed this warning during a roughly one-hour meeting with Wang Yi, member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Political Bureau, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany the previous day. This was the first high-level meeting since the U.S. shot down a Chinese reconnaissance balloon detected over its airspace earlier this month. While firmly stating that "sovereignty violations will not be tolerated" regarding the balloon incident, he sought to block China's potential military support to Russia.

Blinken specifically anticipated that ammunition and weapons could be provided. He explained that this issue is being taken seriously enough that such intelligence is being shared among allies at the Munich Security Conference. However, he confirmed that China has not yet supplied military equipment to Russia.

Vice President Kamala Harris attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany as the U.S. government representative
[Photo by Reuters]

On the same day, Vice President Kamala Harris, attending the Munich Security Conference, also mentioned the possibility of China providing lethal weapons to Russia. Harris, attending as the U.S. intelligence representative, warned, "If China provides any form of lethal weapons to Russia, it will be a compensation for acts of aggression and a continuation of killing."

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, appeared on CNN that day and raised her voice, saying that if China supplies lethal weapons to Russia, "there will be severe consequences." When asked about the specific consequences, she said, "We will not get ahead of or announce what we have planned, but we have clearly communicated to China that there will be consequences if they make such a regrettable decision."

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield emphasized, "Our message to China is that they must not provide any lethal military support to help Russia's invasion," adding, "China's thoughts or attempts to provide military support to Russia are unacceptable. It will be a red line."

Meanwhile, Wang Yi, the Chinese diplomatic chief attending the Munich Security Conference and member of the Communist Party Central Political Bureau, dismissed the issue of China-Russia relations by saying, "China does not accept the U.S. telling it what to do." He stated, "China stands on the side of peace and dialogue regarding the Ukraine war," and indirectly criticized the U.S. by saying, "Some forces seem not to want peace talks to succeed or a ceasefire."

Meanwhile, voices calling for providing fighter jets to Ukraine are also emerging in the U.S. Congress. Michael McCaul, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, appeared on CNN and responded "I hope so" when asked if he expects the U.S. administration to send fighter jets to Ukraine. He argued, "The longer we wait to provide (fighter jets and missile support), the longer the war will last," and "We must put everything we can into this fight so they (Ukraine) can win." Earlier, five members of the House from both parties, including Democrat Jared Golden and Republican Mike Gallagher, sent a letter to President Biden requesting F-16 fighter jet support. However, President Biden recently drew a line, saying "No" when asked about providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.