On Wednesday, May 29th, Kurt Campbell, the second-ranking official at the U.S. State Department, revealed in Europe the true face of China’s support for Russia. He explicitly stated that China’s efforts to aid Russia are ongoing and comprehensive, with the backing of the Chinese leadership, aimed at providing all necessary support to Russia behind the scenes.
Campbell is intensifying diplomatic efforts in Europe, hoping to make European countries aware of the significant role China plays in supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urging Europe to take this matter seriously.
According to the U.S. media outlet Politico, Campbell personally issued this warning to European diplomats at NATO and provided information that was “as detailed and specific as possible.” NATO leaders are expected to send a strong message to China at a major summit scheduled for July.
“To be fair, China’s overall goal is not simply to support Russia – in our view, it is wholeheartedly supporting Russia – but [China] publicly downplays it and tries to maintain normal diplomatic and commercial relations with Europe,” Campbell told a small group of media outlets, including Politico, during his visit to Brussels on Wednesday.
“In yesterday’s discussion at the NAC (North Atlantic Council), what was heartening for us is that many European countries clearly stated that they cannot have normal relations with China if [China], while urging this war since World War II, is undermining European stability in secret,” he said.
The NAC is the main political decision-making body within NATO.
Campbell expressed concern about China’s assistance to Russia over the past 18 to 24 months.
He said, “What I want to emphasize is that the Chinese support for Russia that we see is not a one-time occurrence, nor is it limited to the participation of a few rogue companies.
“This is a continuous, comprehensive effort with the support of the Chinese leadership, aimed at providing all support to Russia behind the scenes to help it reorganize its military forces, long-range missiles, drones, capabilities to track battlefield movements, long-range artillery, and so on. This is an effort designed to not be discovered.”
Not only the United States, but the United Kingdom also issued a strong warning this month against China’s assistance to Russia. British Defense Minister Grant Shapps accused China on May 22 of providing or preparing to provide “lethal aid” to Russia for the invasion war against Ukraine.
Shapps said at a meeting in London that the U.S. and British defense intelligence agencies have evidence showing that “lethal aid is flowing or will flow from China to Russia and into Ukraine. I think this is a significant development.”