China does not send weapons to Russia or Ukraine, says Chinese ambassador to the US

Washington, 20 Mar China's ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, said this Sunday that his country does not send “weapons or ammunition” to Russia or Ukraine, amid rumors of alleged Chinese support for the Russian invasion. “There is a lot of misinformation about China's military support for Russia. We deny it. What China is sending are medicines and sleeping bags. We do not send weapons or ammunition to any party,” the diplomat said in an interview with CBS. Qin Gang also pointed out that China “is against war” and that it will do “everything necessary to de-escalate this crisis”, although it refused to condemn the invasion. US President Joe Biden on Friday warned his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on a video call of the “consequences” for China if he offers “material support” to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. The ambassador defined the call as “sincere, profound and constructive”, in which Xi “made it very clear” that China “is committed to peace and opposes war.” Asked why China did not openly condemn the invasion, Qin Gang considered it “naïve” to believe that “convictions solve the problem”, and opted for “diplomacy”. Asked whether China provides financial support to Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, he merely said that both countries maintain “normal trade, economic, financial and energy cooperation.” The diplomat was also of the opinion that “the relationship of trust” between Russia and China puts Beijing in “a unique position to be able to deal with” in resolving the conflict. “China is part of the solution, not part of the problem,” he claimed. CHIEF er/jrh