US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Party’s top diplomatic official, had a “substantial discussion on Russia’s war against Ukraine” on Monday, according to the White House.
Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi “emphasized the importance of keeping the lines of communication open between the United States and China,” reads a short statement from Washington after the meeting in Rome, Italy.
US and Chinese diplomats began negotiations today after US media reported that Russia asked China for economic and military aid for the war in Ukraine.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is meeting with Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Party’s top diplomatic official.
The two delegations will “discuss the ongoing efforts to manage the competition between the two countries and will discuss the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on regional and global security”, according to Emily Horne, spokeswoman for the National Security Council of the White House.
According to The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, in its Sunday edition, Russia asked China to provide military equipment for the war and economic aid to help overcome international sanctions.
Beijing reacted vigorously today against this information, without, however, denying it.
“Lately, the United States has been constantly spreading false news against China,” said Chinese diplomacy spokesman Zhao Lijian.
“We are closely monitoring the extent to which China is providing, in one way or another, material or economic assistance to Russia,” Jake Sullivan said during a television interview on Sunday.
“We want Beijing to know that we are not going to stand by. We will not allow any country to compensate for Russia’s losses due to economic sanctions applied to Moscow,” Sullivan insisted, guaranteeing that “there will be consequences” if anyone seeks to help circumvent the sanctions. .
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Chinese communist regime, in line with its position of alliance with Moscow, has refrained from asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine, limiting itself to calling for negotiations to seek a peaceful solution to the military conflict.
On February 24, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine that has already caused at least 549 deaths and more than 950 injuries among the civilian population and caused the flight of 4.5 million people, including 2.5 million to the countries neighbors, according to the latest UN data.
The Russian invasion was condemned by most of the international community, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and reinforcing economic sanctions on Moscow.
Source: with agencies