China has ‘picked side’ in Ukraine conflict – US envoy

Beijing has been materially supporting Moscow and helping it evade sanctions, an American diplomat has said

China has clearly been helping Russia in the Ukraine conflict, despite presenting itself as a neutral party, US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith has said.

The accusation came as the Pentagon announced a new military aid package for Kiev worth $425 million, including anti-air missiles, artillery shells, and armored vehicles.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Smith claimed that Beijing “does its very best to try and convince the world that it can maintain a very neutral status as it relates to the war in Ukraine.”

“But in reality, the PRC has picked a side. It has put its thumb on the scale, and it has opted to support Russia in its war in Ukraine,” the diplomat said, referring to China by its official name. She went on to accuse China of helping Russia bypass sanctions by providing “a long list of dual-use components.”

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China, which maintains friendly relations with Russia, has denied providing material support to its northern neighbor. Beijing has been “committed to promoting talks for peace” and making “efforts toward peaceful settlement,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his US counterpart, State Secretary Antony Blinken, last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

“The United States should stop smearing, scapegoating and arbitrarily imposing sanctions on China,” Wang stressed, accusing the US of using Ukraine to “create antagonism and incite camp-based confrontation.”

In August, Washington imposed sanctions on more than 400 firms and individuals, including in China, accusing them of aiding Russia in skirting US-imposed sanctions.

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China unveiled its 12-point roadmap to peace in Ukraine in 2023 and earlier this year released a new six-point plan jointly with Brazil. Chinese envoys have participated in shuttle diplomacy in hopes of ending the fighting between Moscow and Kiev.

At the same time, China and Russia have outlined the “strategic” nature of their partnership in recent years, with both nuclear-armed superpowers declaring opposition to American “unilateralism.”

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov made a trip to Beijing this week, during which he said that Russia and China shared “a common assessment” of the situation in the world.