Blinken: Chinese government assures that it will not supply arms to Russia, but private companies are concerned

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is on an official visit to Beijing, said that China has reaffirmed its promise not to supply Russia with weapons for the war in Ukraine.

At the same time, Blinken expressed concern about the possible cooperation of private Chinese firms with Russia.

"We [the United States] – and other countries – have received assurances from China that it is not providing or assisting Russia with lethal weapons for use in Ukraine," Blinken told reporters after the two-day talks.

"We have not seen any data to suggest otherwise. However, we are constantly concerned about Chinese firms – companies that may provide technology that Russia uses to continue its aggressive war in Ukraine," he added.

At the end of February, the US government accused China of intending to provide Russia with weapons and ammunition for the war against Ukraine.

In response, Beijing said that Russian-Chinese cooperation is based on the principle of not harming third countries and urged Washington not to interfere in the relations between the two countries.

Background. In early June, it was reported that fighters of the Chechen "Ahmat" unit received new military vehicles from China, including eight Chinese-made ShaanXi Tiger 4x4 armored personnel carriers.