U.S. 'Hope and Expects' China Will Not Assist Moscow’s Efforts In Ukraine — State Department

The United States "hopes and expects" China will not assist Moscow’s efforts by providing security assistance or by helping it evade sanctions in a systematic way, the State Department said on Monday, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We’ll be watching closely, and more broadly the entire world will be watching closely to see where the PRC falls on these issues that are near and dear to countries around the world, the principles that are at the heart of the UN Charter," spokesperson Ned Price told a daily press briefing.

According to Price, Russia’s war against Ukraine "will be on the agenda" when Secretary of State Blinken travels to Beijing, which we still expect to happen at some point early next year.

"The threat of Russian aggression was on the agenda before February 24th, when Secretary Blinken spoke to his counterpart... President Biden had an opportunity to speak to President Xi from a distance before Russia’s war actually started. Ever since February 24th it has been high on the agenda as well, and our message has been simple. We hope and expect the PRC will not assist Moscow’s efforts..." he added.

So far Washington has seen Beijing "attempt to have it both ways to some degree," but as Price put it, "there is no having it both ways when it comes to this particular issue."

"Countries around the world, including the United States, but countries in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere, will be looking to hear that the PRC actually believes and actually upholds the principles that have been at the heart of its foreign policy for decades now – independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty."

He went on to add, "this is what the PRC has consistently purported to stand up for within the UN system, within the international system, and countries around the world will want to see that there’s actually meaning there, that this actually means something to the PRC and these are not just words."

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.