Russia has asked its ally China for military support as well as economic assistance for its ongoing and escalating invasion of Ukraine.
However, China claims it has never heard of Russian requests for help. A spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said that they have “never heard of that,” and that China’s priority is to prevent the Ukraine situation from escalating or getting out of control.
If China were to agree to provide assistance, it would be a significant development in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It has the potential to upend the current hold that Ukrainian forces have within the country, and could provide a huge counterweight to harsh sanctions that are imposed globally against Russia.
China will consider its “own interests” as it decides whether to step in and help Russia deal with the impact of the Western sanctions. Economic sanctions have been crippling Russia’s economy.
China has so far not joined in with the U.S., EU, and other countries in sanctioning Russia for the war on Ukraine. Since Russia has invaded Ukraine, Beijing has refused to refer to it as such and has said that China will maintain normal trade with both Ukraine and Russia.
A former deputy sanctions coordinator for the U.S. State Department, Richard Nephew, said that the U.S. government will see China as very important in the potential role of ensuring the efficacy of Western sanctions.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, sanctions have piled up against Russia’s banks, central bank, and on the assets of its oligarchs. The U.S. last week also imposed bans on Russian oil.
Now investors are watching closely to see what China will do. Moscow is counting on its friends in Beijing to help cope with the economic fallout, but the U.S. is warning China not to step in and support Russia.
Nephew said that China will always prioritize its own national interests, and the reality is that they have a substantial interest in being able to do business in the U.S. and Europe. Therefore, the country will take seriously the fact that helping Russia would be seen as undermining sanctions, and harming their ability to conduct business in the West.
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