“Beijing claims to be neutral, but its behavior makes it clear that it is still committed to close ties with Russia,” the US State Department said.
Washington shows concern about China’s “alignment” with Russia in the context of the military operation in Ukraine after the conversation between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, a US State Department spokesman was quoted as saying by CNN on Friday.
“Beijing claims to be neutral, but its behavior makes it clear that it is still committed to close ties with Russia,” the official said. He added that the US and the EU have already warned Beijing “of the consequences of providing military aid to Russia for its war against Ukraine or systematic assistance with sanctions evasion.”
In addition, the spokesman said that the US is “closely monitoring Beijing’s activities” and called Russia’s military operation in Ukraine an “unjust war”, adding that all those who support Moscow “will inevitably find themselves on the side wrong story.”
“The world is watching to see which countries stand for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination and sovereignty, and which stand with or tacitly support Russia in its war of choice, premeditated and unprovoked,” he concluded.
The conversation between Putin and Xi took place this Friday via video conference. During the meeting, the Russian leader stressed that, in the context of growing geopolitical tensions, the importance of the association between the two countries increases as a “stabilizing factor”. At the same time, Putin indicated that the ties between Russia and China “represent a model of cooperation between great powers in the 21st century”. In turn, Xi said that against the background of a difficult international situation, China is willing to increase political cooperation with Moscow.
Source: RT
