China’s Military Aid to Russia: Finally Breaking Decades of America’s Engagement Policy?
Commentary
At the annual Munich Security Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned his Chinese counterpart, Chinese Communist Party Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi, against providing “lethal support” to Russia in its war against Ukraine. This was the first meeting between senior Chinese and U.S. officials since the Chinese spy balloon was downed.
Blinken noted that China already provides non-lethal aid to Russia, buys its oil, and helps it overcome the sanctions regime put in place after the invasion. The Munich meetings and President Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv were notable for four reasons.
First, according to Chinese accounts of the Blinken-Yang meeting, Beijing said it would never allow the United States to dictate the terms of its relations with Russia….