'No Evidence' China Provides Lethal Aid To Russia, State Department Says, As Blinken Heading to Beijing to Stabilize Ties
Washington D.C./15.06.23/Turan: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China this weekend to discuss ways to "responsibly manage" the relationship between the two superpowers, the State Department said on Wednesday.
This will be the first trip to the Chinese capital by a top U.S. diplomat since 2018.
Blinken has three main objectives for the visit as described by top State Department officials: First, to establish communication channels to help manage competition so it does not veer into conflict. Second, to stand up and speak for American values. And third, to explore potential cooperation and transnational challenges.
Asked by TURAN whether Washington had any concern that China might provide lethal aid to Russia, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily press briefing that the U.S. has "not to this point seen evidence that they have carried out that step."
"It would be greatly concerning if they did," he added.
Miller also said that Ukraine would be a matter of conversation during the trip. When it comes to China's potential "peace proposals", the Spokesperson said: "China has said that they are interested in pursuing peace, but they've also been closely aligned with Russia since the outset of this war. So if China is serious about pursuing a peace that respects Ukraine's sovereignty, that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity, of course, that would be important and that would be useful."
After Beijing, Blinken will head to London to attend a Ukraine Recovery Conference to "mobilize international support from the public and private sector" and help Ukraine recover from Russia's brutal and ongoing attacks.
Alex Raufoglu
Politics
-
On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
-
Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
-
According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
-
On November 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed negotiations with Azerbaijan regarding a peace treaty in an interview with Public TV. In particular, he emphasized that society should move away from certain stereotypes. “We are outraged when we hear the term ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ But we don’t think that when we say ‘Western Armenia,’ it also irritates anyone,” he stated.
Leave a review