When asked this week if China has made any decisions about providing lethal aid to Russia, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said “we’ve seen no indication that they’ve made that decision.”
Concerns about China and Russia have become more prominent in the wake of the U.S. discovering and shooting down what officials have identified as a Chinese spy balloon flying over the nation, particularly over sensitive areas. At the same time, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has now lasted more than a year.
President Joe Biden traveled to Ukraine last week to mark the anniversary of the invasion and pledge further support to Ukraine. So far, the U.S. has provided the sovereign nation with billions to fend off the Russian attack.
China issued a position paper last Friday that appeared to support respect of sovereignty and ceasing hostility. However, Juscelino Colares – an international law expert from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio – told KNX last week that it seems as if China is gearing up to help Russia.
“They haven’t taken it off the table,” Kirby told reporters Thursday. “But, we haven’t seen any indication.”
This Tuesday, People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping held talks with President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus.
“Xi Jinping emphasized that the China-Belarus friendship is unbreakable, and the two sides should constantly enhance political mutual trust and remain each other’s true friends and good partners,” said the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “China highly appreciates Belarus’ firm support for China’s legitimate positions on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and human rights, among others.”
CBS News/Associated Press described Belarus as “Russia’s ally” in a report this week about a Belarusian court sentencing human rights advocate and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in prison. Bialiatski and other top figures with the “Viasna human rights center he founded were convicted of financing actions violating public order and smuggling,” said the report.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who canceled a trip to China after the balloon was identified, condemned Belarus for sentencing Bialiatski on Twitter Friday.
“We condemn today’s sham court ruling sentencing Nobel-winner Ales Bialatski and 3 others to 7-10 years imprisonment in an attempt to suppress democracy and human rights in Belarus,” he said.
Biden said recently that he planned to speak to Xi soon. Kirby said that there is “no former outreach that I’m aware of,” and “no call on the schedule.”
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