China to pay price if it assists Russia in Ukraine: Sullivan

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It is up to China whether it assists Russia in Ukraine, but if Beijing were to decide on the provision of military aid to Russia, that would come with a price, said US National Security adviser Jake Sulivan on Sunday.

"Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance, but if it goes down that road, it will come at real costs to China," Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" show.

According to US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi "about the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia or assistance with systemic sanctions evasion."

Equivocally, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced a day later that China would never accept that US "finger-pointing" target China-Russia relations and called on Washington to work toward a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis instead of deteriorating the situation.

Wang Yi and Blinken held a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

"We never accept the US's finger-pointing or even coercion targeting China-Russia relations," the foreign ministry said in a statement published after the meeting.

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The United States, as a major power, should "work for a political settlement of the [Ukraine] crisis instead of fanning the flames or profiteering from the situation."

The United States had warned China just a few weeks after the beginning of the war against supporting Russia.

According to a January report by CNN, Washington raised concerns with China over evidence found that indicates that firms in Beijing are sending non-lethal military assistance to the Russian military fighting in Ukraine.

However, US officials claim that the military assistance is coming directly from China's government.

The officials noted that it is not yet clear whether the assistance violates existing sanctions, nor if the United States will adopt new sanctions on China, however, according to sources close to the Biden administration, Washington will not hold back on targeting those who violate Western sanctions on Russia.

China released on Friday a 12-point document titled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," promoting, among other things, respecting the sovereignty of all countries, abandoning the Cold War mentality, ceasing hostilities, resuming peace talks, resolving the humanitarian crisis, protecting civilians and POWs, keeping nuclear power plants safe, reducing strategic risks, facilitating grain exports, stopping unilateral sanctions, keeping industrial and supply chains stable, and promoting post-conflict reconstruction.

Because the plan did not specify that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine, the West said the 12-point document was an attempt to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty at Russia's expense. Beijing has already dismissed these claims as false. 

"The US is not used to hearing the truth, it's reluctant to face its own problems and merely dismisses all criticism as propaganda," said Chinese FM spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday. 

The document calls on all parties to "support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible," as well as to refrain from using nuclear weapons.

The position paper is mostly a reiteration of China's previous position, which includes an appeal to both parties to resume peace talks. “Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis,” it said, adding that China will play a “constructive role,” without offering details.

The document also read that "the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld."