China "not a party" in Russia's war against Ukraine

Created: 03/15/2022, 10:46 am

By: Lukas Zigo

War in Ukraine and tensions over Taiwan – the top-level meeting between the USA and China was not lacking in conflict issues.

Rome – The US National Security Advisor

, Jake Sullivan, met his Chinese counterpart for top-level talks in Rome on Monday (03/15/2022).

The State Department did not

say what China's top foreign policy leader discussed with US President Joe Biden's national security adviser

However, there was talk of "frank, in-depth and constructive" top-level talks.

In the USA and NATO

the fear of increasing cooperation between China

and Russia in the Ukraine conflict is growing.

However, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi does not see his country "as a party" in the conflict over the Russian invasion.

He also said in a phone call with his Spanish colleague José Manuel Albares that his government "doesn't want the sanctions to hit China".

"China has the right to protect its legitimate rights and interests," the Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying in Beijing on Tuesday

.

US-China summit in Rome: In-depth and constructive talks – including on Taiwan

Wang Yi called the Ukraine conflict

the result of an "accumulation and intensification of contradictions over the years" in the European security architecture.

Wang Yi did not respond to American reports that Russia

asked the Chinese government

for military and economic help after the start of the Ukraine war .

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman had previously spoken of “malicious” disinformation from the United States.

Yang Jiechi (1st L), a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

© Jin Mamengni/dpa

The EU also warns of Russian-Chinese cooperation and its consequences.

Leader of the largest group in the European Parliament, the centre-right European People's Party, Manfred Weber, said: "China's direct military support for the Russian war in Ukraine would have major implications for Europe's relations with Beijing.

The situation between Europe and China is already tense, but China should be aware that it can get much worse.”

US-China relationship: Taiwan as the largest of the powder kegs

The Sino-US top-level talks also highlighted the issue of Taiwan and how to deal with strained relations between the two countries.

The US government has pledged not to support Taiwan

independence but is not acting accordingly, Yang Jiechi was quoted as saying.

The US must recognize how sensitive the Taiwan issue is and should "stop going down this very dangerous path

".

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But the former chancellor had recently come under sharp criticism.

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Beijing sees the free democratic Taiwan only as part of the People's Republic and threatens to conquer it.

The US is committed to Taiwan's defense capability and is supplying modern weapons.

Previous US administrations have always left open whether they would also come to the island's military aid in the event of an attack, in order to deter Beijing.

However, in October, US President Biden said the US had an “obligation” to do so.

(lz/dpa)