Chinese MoFA urges Washington for truth about Nord Stream explosions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Feb 16:23

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin calls on Washington to provide information regarding the Nord Stream explosion.

A gas leak from Nord stream 2 is seen in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken from the Swedish Coast Guard aircraft on September 28, 2022. (Reuters)

The US intelligence information regarding alleged Chinese weapons shipments to Russia is nothing more than slander, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. Washington should instead provide accurate information regarding the explosions that struck the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

According to US State Secretary Antony Blinken, up until now, private Chinese companies have only given Russia "non-lethal" support. China was said to be considering giving Russia "lethal" military assistance on Sunday, including either weapons or ammunition.

The United States, not China, is providing arms to Kiev, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "The so-called US intelligence [on the supply of Chinese weapons to Russia] is nothing more than a fabrication, slander, and defamation of China," Wang told reporters, adding that if the US has any intelligence that is really valuable, then it should "provide more truthful information about the explosions at Nord Stream."

Read next: Hersh says will likely reveal 'mechanism' of Nord Stream sabotage act

China has consistently advocated for dialogue and peace throughout the war in Ukraine, Wang stressed. The diplomat continued by saying that Beijing, in its own unique way, supported negotiations, sought peace, and contributed positively to de-escalating the situation and ending the crisis.

Three of the four strings of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines, which were designed to transport a combined 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe every year, were hit by explosions in September 2022. Sweden, Denmark, and Germany each opened their own inquiries into the incident.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning US investigative journalist, Seymour Hersh, claimed earlier in February that US Navy divers had planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines during NATO Baltops exercises in the summer of 2022, which Norway had begun three months later.

US President Joe Biden made the decision to sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines after more than nine months of in-depth secret talks with the national security team, according to the report.

Ukraine War; One Year On

Feb 24, 2023, marks the first anniversary of the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. The war has since killed thousands, displaced millions, and destroyed entire cities. One year after the start of the war, Al Mayadeen English reflects on the world order, the repercussions of western sanctions, and the key events of the war.