Stay informed with free updates
Simply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.
UK defence secretary Grant Shapps has accused China of providing or preparing to provide Russia with “lethal aid” for use by Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
“Today I can reveal that we have evidence that Russia and China are collaborating on combat equipment for use in Ukraine,” Shapps told a defence conference in London on Wednesday.
The defence secretary said new US and British intelligence showed “lethal aid is now or will be flowing from China to Russia and into Ukraine”, which Shapps said was “a significant development”.
His comments appeared to indicate that China had potentially pivoted to directly supporting Russia’s military in Ukraine, though he gave no details or evidence.
Even as Chinese companies have emerged as Russia’s key conduit for crucial components the Kremlin needs to sustain its defence industry, Beijing has largely shied away from helping Moscow’s war machine directly.
The US has warned China of consequences, which could include secondary sanctions, if its companies support the Russian war effort.
China has stopped short of backing the invasion, but offered Russia a crucial economic lifeline after western sanctions cut Moscow out of global markets and supply chains.
Shapps said an increase in trade between China and Russia since the start of the invasion showed the two countries had developed a “deeper relationship”.
His comments follow a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing last week for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Putin was accompanied by his new defence minister, Andrei Belousov, and security council chief Sergei Shoigu, who joined him for multiple rounds of talks in China including a closed-door dinner with Xi.
Western countries have been on the lookout for signs that Beijing might be providing weapons to Russia. Last month, the Chinese embassy in the US said it had not provided weaponry and that it was “not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis”.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said during a visit to China in late April that there were no signs Beijing was sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.
“What China is doing, or what some of its enterprises are doing, is to provide critical components for Russia’s defence industrial base, things like machine tools, microelectronics and optics,” Blinken said.
But the US this month sanctioned Chinese companies including two groups that allegedly supplied Russia with drones, weapons and ammunition, in addition to chips, sensors and other military-related technology.
Both Ukraine and Russia have struggled with shortages of weaponry and ammunition.
Russia has turned to North Korea, securing more than a million rounds of artillery shells as well as ballistic missiles. Iran has also supplied kamikaze drones to the Russian armed forces. As for Ukraine, the US last month approved long-delayed $61bn IN military aid to Kyiv.
Shapps revelation is the latest in a series of warnings made by UK officials about Beijing’s actions. These have included claims of Chinese cyber attacks targeting politicians and Britain’s electoral watchdog. An alleged Chinese hack that accessed the data of hundreds of thousands of UK defence ministry staff was also reported this month.
The UK defence ministry, the Kremlin, the Chinese foreign ministry and the Chinese embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Credit: Source link
