In a standoff at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, U.S. officials accused China of “enabling Russian aggression in Ukraine” while Chinese officials countercharged the U.S. of attempting to shift responsibility and create confrontation.
U.S. Acting Ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, urged all nations, specifically naming Communist China, to cease exporting dual-use military and civilian products to Russia. The U.S. stated that these products enhance Russia’s war industry base, enabling it to launch drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
Shea argued that Beijing’s claim of implementing “strict export controls” on dual-use materials is untenable, as Chinese-made components are found daily in the drones, weapons, and vehicles used by Russia to attack Ukraine.
Chinese Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, responded by stating that China has not initiated the Ukraine conflict, is not a party to the conflict, has never provided lethal weapons, and has always “strictly controlled dual-use materials, including drones, for export.”
A report by Reuters on Wednesday, July 23, revealed that Chinese-produced engines were secretly shipped to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia through a subsidiary company, misleadingly labeled as “industrial refrigeration equipment” to avoid detection.
Shea stated, “If China sincerely calls for peace, it should stop enabling Russian aggression.”
In an interview with the Ukrainian National News Agency Ukrinform in May, Oleh Ivashchenko, head of the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service, stated, “Intelligence indicates that China (the Chinese Communist Party) is providing machinery, special chemicals, explosives, and components to (Russian) defense enterprises. We have confirmed data on 20 Russian factories.”
The U.S. and Europe have consistently criticized the role played by China in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Kurt Campbell, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, during a European visit on May 29, 2024, revealed the true extent of China’s support for Russia.
He emphasized, “What we see from China (Chinese Communist Party) in support of Russia is not a one-time thing, nor the involvement of just a few rogue companies.”
“This is an ongoing, comprehensive effort supported by the Chinese Communist Party leadership with the aim of providing behind-the-scenes assistance to Russia, enabling it to reconfigure military forces, acquire capabilities such as long-range missiles, drones, battlefield tracking, long-range artillery, etc. This is an effort designed to fundamentally avoid detection,” he added.
(This article referenced reporting by Reuters.)