China denies supplying Russia with arms to use in Ukraine
2 Min Read
Defense Minister Dong Jun denies claims that China is supplying weapons either to Russia or to Ukraine.
-
China's Defense Minister Dong Jun attends the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, on June 2, 2024. (AP)
China is not supplying weapons to Russia or Ukraine and strictly controls exports of dual-purpose goods, Defense Minister Dong Jun stressed during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue forum.
The minister said "We have never supplied weapons to either party in the conflict. We have established strict control over exports of dual-purpose and never did anything that could fire up the situation," adding that China holds a reliable position on the Ukrainian issue and supports peace talks.
Earlier on Saturday, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the European Union has no evidence that China is arming Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"China has committed not to supply arms and we do not have evidence that this is happening," the senior EU official said at IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said earlier this month that the UK has evidence that Beijing is supplying weapons to Russia. But the United States promptly responded that it does not have such evidence, and asked Shapps to share his country's findings with Washington.
“We have not seen that to date. I look forward to speaking with the U.K. to make sure that we have a common operating picture,” US national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said then, however, he claimed that China "is clearly providing weapons components" to Russia and that the US has "taken action to deal with."
Additionally, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell claimed that China is giving Russia "every support behind the scenes" on the Ukraine war and that Beijing is "destabilizing in the heart of Europe."
"What we've seen from China to Russia is not a one-off or a couple of rogue firms involved in supporting Russia," Campbell said on Wednesday, adding that NATO and the EU should send "a collective message of concern to China about its actions."
