Xi Jinping strongly condemns criticism of China over war in Ukraine
Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping has strongly opposed criticism of Beijing for its close relations with Russia during the war in Ukraine, according to The New York Times.
"We oppose the crisis being used to cast responsibility on a third country, sully its image and incite a new cold war," said Jinping.
Drawing upon his recent discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, Xi stood firm in defending China's role, emphasizing that China "was not at the origin of this crisis, nor a party to it, nor a participant."
This sharp assertion, according to the publication, was primarily aimed at the United States, which believes that China, besides purchasing a vast amount of Russian oil and gas, continues to assist Moscow in the Ukraine war. This assistance allegedly includes providing Russian forces with satellite imagery as well as components for fighter jets, microchips, and other dual-use equipment.
China's assistance to Russia
Since the onset of the Ukraine war, China has refrained from condemning Russia and imposing sanctions. Meanwhile, Beijing has bolstered cooperation with Moscow, supplying key technologies and dual-use products.
Recently, Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the European Commission, said that China is supplying Russia with dual-use products necessary for weapon production.
Subsequently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized China for supplying dual-use products to the Russian defense industry.
