On 22 May 2024, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps claimed that China was exporting or preparing to export dual-purpose technology to Russia that could be used in the war in Ukraine.[1] Speaking at a conference in London, Shapps said that “American and British defense intelligence has evidence that dual-purpose assistance from China to Russia is now being provided or will be provided in the future, which is a significant development.”[2] However, Shapps did not provide any evidence to support this claim. In fact, Washington has not supported Shapps’ claim either. United States (US) National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US had seen no evidence of this, neither in the past nor “to date.”[3]
Shapps’ claims were quickly challenged by China. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “We condemn the British politician’s baseless and irresponsible slander against China. We note that the UK’s statements are not even supported by its ‘close ally’ the U.S. Instead of falsely blaming China, why don’t you take a closer look at the UK’s role in the Ukraine issue?” [4]
Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian War, Chinese officials have been steadfastly rejecting Western accusations, saying that they are neither producers nor parties to the crisis. The volume of trade between China and Russia has been growing rapidly in the last two years after the Western sanctions targeting Moscow. In 2023, trade between Beijing and Moscow reached a record high of 240 billion dollars as Chinese companies increased their investments.[5] These growing trade ties have also raised concerns among Western actors.
The US suspects that China could help Russia’s military defense industry through the sale of technological products. While Western actors continue to put pressure on China, their financial and military support to Ukraine is also increasing. The UK, for example, has increased its military support to Ukraine to over 3.8 billion dollars this year, while many other Western countries have provided billions of dollars in support to Ukraine.[6] China’s argument is that when Russia and Ukraine came close to an agreement to end the conflict two years ago, Britain sabotaged the negotiations, causing them to stall.[7]
Although Britain’s main challenge here is against Russia, China is also negatively affected by this rivalry. The US and the UK have common interests in restoring Europe’s security. Therefore, actors who go beyond an alliance relationship with Russia to establish a strategic partnership are targeted by the West. In this sense, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Beijing on 15-16 May 2024 to once again emphasize the deepening “borderless” partnership with China drew the ire of the UK.
In its calls to Western countries, particularly the UK and the US, China emphasizes the need to stay away from “Cold War” politics and avoid dividing the world into blocs. Yet, there may be something about the China-Russia rapprochement that the UK has overlooked. Indeed, these ties may also facilitate the resolution of the crisis in Ukraine. Because China is also negatively affected by this war. In this sense, Putin’s recent visit to Beijing is also related to China’s intensive efforts in the last year to find a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine. As a matter of fact Xi, who hosted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing on April 16, 2024, announced four new principles for the resolution of the crisis in Ukraine.[8] In this context, Xi called for “restoring peace and stability by moving away from selfish interests, de-escalating the conflict, avoiding escalatory moves and minimizing the impact on the world economy.”[9]
In an interview with Xinhua News Agency ahead of his visit to Beijing, Putin praised China’s approach to Ukraine, calling it “realistic and constructive steps” that “develop the idea of the need to overcome the Cold War mentality.”[10] In this respect, it can be argued that China and Russia may in fact have similar views on the reasons for the outbreak of the war, but they also diverge on the solutions. This is because China’s 12-point position paper on the crisis in Ukraine, which was made public in February 2023, also emphasizes the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Instead of emphasizing China’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Western actors, particularly the UK and the US, use a marginalizing language and emphasize its ties with Russia.
China has consistently promoted peace talks to resolve the Ukrainian crisis and supports the organization of an international peace conference recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties. To date, Beijing has closely monitored the use of products exported to Moscow in an attempt to avoid possible Western sanctions. Nevertheless, China is increasingly subject to Western economic sanctions. In order to further pressure Russia, the UK is also toughening its rhetoric against its closest partner China. In the current conjuncture, China is unlikely to develop a stable cooperation with Western actors. Aware of this, Beijing’s export of critical defense products to Moscow does not seem like a rational scenario. This is because China needs positive relations with the West in order to sustain its global economic rise.
[1] “UK defence minister says intelligence has evidence of Chinese lethal aid to Russia”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk-defence-minister-says-intelligence-has-evidence-chinese-lethal-aid-russia-2024-05-22/, (Date of Access: 24.05.2024).
[2] Ibid.
[3] “China denies UK claims of supplying lethal weapons to Russia”, Kyiv Independent, https://kyivindependent.com/china-denies-uk-claims-of-supplying-lethal-weapons-to-russia/, (Date of Access: 24.05.2024).
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Russia’s Putin to visit China on President Xi’s invitation”, Press Tv, https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/05/14/725583/Vladimir-Putin-to-visit-China, (Date of Access: 15.05.2024).
[6] “UK says China is supplying ‘lethal aid’ to Russia for use in Ukraine”, VOA News, https://www.voanews.com/a/uk-says-china-is-supplying-lethal-aid-to-russia-for-use-in-ukraine/7622961.html, (Date of Access: 15.05.2024).
[7] Ibid.
[8] “Xi puts forth four principles to resolve Ukraine crisis”, The State Council-PRC, https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202404/16/content_WS661e4336c6d0868f4e8e61fa.html, (Date of Access: 15.05.2024).
[9] Ibid.
[10] “‘Genuine desire’: Putin backs China peace plan to end Ukraine war”, Al Jazeraa, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/15/genuine-desire-putin-backs-china-peace-plan-to-end-ukraine-war, (Date of Access: 15.05.2024).
