Beijing cannot afford to see Russia lose the Ukraine war, because it needs America focused on Moscow and Kyiv — and away from the Pacific, China’s top diplomat told his EU counterpart, according to a new report.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi allegedly shocked European officials at a Brussels meeting Wednesday when he dropped all pretenses and said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a blessing for China, sources told the South China Morning Post.
Wang touted the three-year war for keeping the US focused on Ukraine, claiming that if the war were to end, Washington would start putting its full attention in the Pacific and could enter into conflict with China.
The admission from one of Beijing’s top officials, which was not included in either nation’s summary of the meeting, came after the EU accused China of assisting in Russia’s war effort.
The South China Morning Post — Hong Kong’s daily newspaper, which is owned by the Alibaba Group — reported the comments.
Kaja Kallas, EU’s high representative for foreign policy, called on China “to immediately cease all material support that sustains Russia’s military industrial complex” and support peace in the Ukraine, according to a statement released by the bloc.
The official also “highlighted the serious threat Chinese companies’ support for Russia’s illegal war poses to European security.”
Beijing maintains that it has not provided any military support to Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, but EU officials claim Chinese companies have given Moscow many of the necessary components needed to build the drones and weapons used in the war.
China was one of the nations that failed to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with President Xi Jinping standing as an ally of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
While Xi has never publicly called for Beijing to support Russia’s war effort, the Chinese leader has previously said their partnership has “no limits” and blamed the invasion on western aggression.
Wednesday’s meeting in Brussels also saw the EU demand that China end restrictions on rare earth mineral exports, which Europe warned could endanger the global supply chain.
China placed export restrictions on seven rare minerals and magnets — including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium — all of which are vital for global defense, energy and automotive sectors.
The EU is also urging China to use its influence as Iran’s main oil buyer to pressure Tehran to make a deal over its nuclear program to stabilize the Middle East.
The meeting was set to lay the groundwork for the summit scheduled for next month between EU and Chinese leaders.
