The United States accused China’s leadership of supporting the war in Ukraine, warning of possible sanctions from the US and other NATO countries.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell spoke to journalists during a visit to Brussels on Wednesday, May 29. He stated that there was an urgent need for European and NATO countries “to send a collective message of concern to China about its actions, which we believe are destabilising in the heart of Europe.”
Campbell claimed to have informed NATO’s main political decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council (NAC), of the US concerns on Tuesday. He revealed that Chinese support was helping Moscow rebuild elements of its military, including long-range missile, artillery, and drone capabilities. Beijing is also allegedly helping Moscow track movements on the battlefield.
What we’ve seen from China to Russia is not a one-off or a couple of rogue firms involved in supporting Russia. This is a sustained, comprehensive effort that is backed up by the leadership in China that is designed to give Russia every support behind the scenes.
The undersecretary of state argued that China’s actions created a potential for Russia not only on the battlefield in Ukraine, but also allowed it to “pose a strategic challenge to others in Europe.”
We see this as a matter of utmost urgency.
Campbell noted that Europe and the US had already imposed “sanctions in certain cases in response to China’s actions.”
I would expect that the United States and countries in NATO will take subsequent steps.
Sanctions imposed
Last month, the US imposed sanctions against 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong. The move followed repeated warnings from Washington about China’s support for Russian military forces.
In response, the Chinese embassy in Washington stated that Beijing controlled exports of dual-use goods in accordance with laws and regulations. Beijing also stressed that normal trade and economic interaction between China and Russia was in line with World Trade Organisation rules and market principles.
However, Campbell declined to elaborate on what the next steps might be.
I think the view is that we will need to send a clear, unambiguous signal to Beijing that such steps that China is undertaking are dangerous to the long-term stability in Europe.
White House Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics, Daleep Singh, said on Tuesday that the US and its partners were prepared to use sanctions and export controls to prevent Chinese-Russian trade that threatened their security “amid the Ukraine war.”
US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo may call for further action to stop Russia from evading sanctions and will issue a warning on China’s role, highlighting the December executive order. In April, the US official revealed that Washington had tentatively discussed sanctions on some Chinese banks. However, he emphasised that he did not yet have a plan to implement such measures.
