Blinken: China’s words, actions to secure peace in Russo-Ukraine war don’t ‘add up’

China’s discussions about peace in Ukraine do not match its actions, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the UN General Assembly last week. 

“So when Beijing says on the one hand that it wants peace, it wants to see an end to the conflict, but on the other hand is allowing its companies to take actions that are actually helping Putin continue the aggression, that doesn’t add up,” Blinken said.

He highlighted U.S. concerns regarding China’s backing of Russia’s defense industry. 

“We’ve taken a number of steps already. I think what you’re hearing again this week is – not just from us but from many other countries – a deep concern about this, and you heard that as well at the [UN] Security Council,” he said.

Roughly 70 percent of the machine tools that Russia imports come from China and Hong Kong, and 90 percent of microelectronics come from China and Hong Kong.

“And this is materially helping the Russians produce the missiles, the rockets, the armored vehicles, the munitions that they need to perpetuate the war, to continue their aggression,” Blinked said.

The Chinese foreign minister reiterated that Beijing supports a diplomatic resolution to the Russo-Ukrainian war.

“The U.S. must cease discrediting and fabricating evidence against China, imposing sanctions indiscriminately, and using this [‘conflict’ – as China refers to the war] to foster confrontation among different factions,” Wang Yi said.

On September 27, The Times reported that Western officials have evidence indicating that Chinese companies have secretly supplied weapons to Russia, raising concerns about a significant escalation of Beijing’s involvement in the war in Ukraine.