A senior Republican legislator stated that China was contemplating sending 100 drones and different deadly weapons to Russia, as US officers warn that Beijing could escalate its assist for Moscow within the Ukraine battle.
Michael McCaul, the highest Republican on the Home overseas affairs committee, stated the US was more and more involved about Beijing’s willingness to escalate its backing for Moscow in its year-long invasion of Ukraine, forward of an anticipated assembly between Russia’s chief Vladimir Putin and his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping subsequent week.
The information {that a} Chinese language firm was in talks to provide Russia with drones was first reported by Der Spiegel.
“Now we have intelligence that’s been reported that they’re considering sending 100 drones into Russia. We additionally know they’re shopping for all their power from them, economically supporting them,” McCaul stated in an interview with the information community ABC.
McCaul stated Beijing was additionally sending in “different deadly weapons”.
“The truth that they’re going to satisfy subsequent week, Chairman Xi and Putin, to debate this unholy alliance that they’ve, to place weapons into Ukraine, to me could be very disturbing as a result of whereas possibly Ukraine immediately, it’s going to be Taiwan tomorrow.”
Whereas the US beforehand believed that China was reluctant to offer deadly help to Russia in its struggle with Ukraine, that evaluation has modified this month following new info, CIA director William Burns stated.
In response, US officers have stepped up their public warnings to China concerning the potential penalties of such a transfer — a message they’ve additionally conveyed to Chinese language counterparts in back-channel conferences, in response to a number of US officers.
Whereas the US has alleged that Beijing is offering non-lethal help to Russia within the battle, similar to satellite tv for pc imagery to assist goal Ukrainian weapons, the addition of drones would mark a critical escalation of China’s involvement within the battle.
Senior US officers this week repeatedly sounded the alarm concerning the risk that China might present Russia with weapons, which secretary of state Antony Blinken final weekend stated might embrace ammunition. However the administration has not proven any proof to again the declare regardless of Blinken saying it will be “on the market quickly”.
President Joe Biden on Friday appeared to undercut the claims from his prime officers by saying that he didn’t count on China to make any important transfer on weapons.
On Sunday, Burns stated in an interview with CBS that the US was “assured” that the Chinese language management had been contemplating “the availability of deadly tools”. However he stated that Beijing had not made a remaining choice and that there had been no proof, to this point, of “precise shipments of deadly tools”.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s nationwide safety adviser, has sought to mood the issues. In a number of interviews on Sunday, he famous that China had made no shipments to Russia. Sullivan stated the US would proceed to utilise “the non-public high-level diplomatic channels” it had established to warn Beijing of the results of offering Moscow with any deadly assist, because it had throughout Blinken’s assembly in Munich final week with Wang Yi, China’s prime diplomat.
“We’ll watch rigorously, we will likely be vigilant, and we are going to proceed to ship a robust message,” Sullivan informed CNN. “We’ve actually made very clear the seriousness of the results for our relationship, and I believe for China’s relationship with our European allies as nicely.”
Sullivan added: “Beijing should make its personal selections about the way it proceeds, whether or not it gives navy help. However, if it goes down that highway, it is going to come at actual prices to China.”
Extra reporting by Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
