The crisis in Ukraine is "intensifying and even getting out of control" according to China's foreign minister, who stated this on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
While retaining tight connections to its strategic ally Russia, China has attempted to portray itself as a neutral player in the conflict in Ukraine. Prior to the first anniversary of Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, Beijing promised to release a proposal aimed at finding a "political solution" to end the war.
China has dismissed American accusations that it is considering sending weapons to Russia. "It has been nearly a year since the crisis in Ukraine escalated across the board," Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang said.
And Qin advised nations to stop making an uproar by shouting 'Today Ukraine, Tomorrow Taiwan'" in reference to the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory and has pledged to annex one day.
Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, stated at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that Beijing was open to negotiating with all parties and condemned attacks on nuclear power facilities and the use of biological weapons in the Ukraine war.
On his penultimate leg of a European tour that has already taken him to France, Italy, Hungary, and Germany, Wang is scheduled to hold talks in Moscow. Wang might have a meeting with President Vladimir Putin during his visit, the Kremlin indicated on Monday, the official TASS news agency reported.
The high-level trips come in response to allegations made by Antony Blinken, the top ambassador for the U.S., that China may be "considering providing lethal support" to Moscow, including ammunition and the weapons themselves.
In a meeting over the weekend, the head of foreign policy for the European Union reportedly warned Wang that any tangible backing for Moscow's conflict would be a "red line in our relationship."
In an interview with media on Monday, Josep Borrell said, "He told me that they are not going to do it, that they don't plan to do it. But we will remain vigilant." Beijing denied the claims on Monday, charging Washington with "spreading false information".
As Washington claimed to have shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon earlier this month, ties between the United States and China became even tenser. This is when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken leveled these accusations.
China has received numerous warnings from the United States to refrain from aiding Russia in its war in Ukraine, which is rapidly approaching its one-year mark. In an appearance on ABC on Sunday, Blinken said that U.S. President Joe Biden had already cautioned his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, against shipping weaponry to Russia in March of last year.
