China is considering supplying “weapons” to Russia to support its offensive in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Sunday after a meeting with his counterpart Wang Yi. Beijing denied it, but what would be the impact of this military support in the conflict?
If since the start of the war, China has offered Russian President Vladimir Putin economic and diplomatic support, the country has always avoided sending arms or any concrete military involvement. But information from the United States seems to indicate that Beijing is now “planning to provide lethal support” to Russia.
Meaningful statements that come from Antony Blinken, head of American diplomacy who has not, however, provided any evidence to support the assertion. It has also been described as “false information” by Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Why is the United States worried?
An influx of weapons from China “would reshuffle the cards” of the conflict in Ukraine, argued to AFP Mick Ryan, former strategist and general of the Australian army. “If China gets involved, any advantage Ukraine had from the West’s industrial capacity is instantly gone,” he said.
“Chinese ammunition would make life very difficult for Ukrainians, be it artillery ammunition, precision ammunition, or longer-range strike weapons that Russia is short of.” Because since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Russia has struggled to gather enough personnel, ammunition and weapons, which explains its stagnation in the face of Ukrainian resistance.
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A bigger issue than Ukraine
Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping claimed that China would not send weapons to Russia, while pointing out that political, commercial and military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing had increased even before the war in Ukraine.
“China will not listen to US demands. It will strengthen cooperation with Russia in accordance with its own national will,” he said.
A decision to export arms would be a way for China to expose itself to Western sanctions, and burn the last remaining ties with Washington while scuttling those with Europe. But many experts believe there is more at stake and that Ukraine is turning into a proxy conflict worthy of the Cold War era.
