The United States is "
convinced
" that China is considering supplying arms to Russia in its war in Ukraine, even if it says no decision has been made, and is mounting pressure on Beijing, warning it not to not cross that red line.
To discover
Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application
"
We are convinced that the Chinese leadership is considering supplying lethal material
" to Russia, CIA chief William Burns said in a rare CBS interview that aired on Sunday.
But, added the director of the American intelligence agency, "
we have not seen that a final decision has been made
" and "
we have not seen evidence that they have delivered
" weapons to the Russia.
“Prowler” Drone Factory
The United States has been engaged in a major diplomatic offensive for a week, warning China against lethal military support for Russia, which experts say would be a game-changer in this conflict, which has entered its second year and without settlement. in sight.
Beijing has strongly denied these allegations.
According to press reports, including those from the
Wall Street Journal
and the NBC channel citing unidentified officials, it would be for China to provide drones and ammunition in particular.
A Chinese company is considering starting production of "
prowling
" drones for the Russian military for possible use in hitting targets in Ukraine, German weekly
Der Spiegel
reported on Friday .
Read alsoGilles Kepel: “A year later, the war in Ukraine is upsetting the balance of the Middle East”
The head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken expressed these fears directly to the most senior Chinese diplomat, Wang Yi, during a tense meeting last Saturday in Munich on the sidelines of a conference on security.
The latter was received in the middle of last week in the Kremlin, a meeting underlining the privileged ties between Moscow and its Chinese ally.
According to Washington, China is already supplying non-lethal material to Russia via Chinese companies.
To further drive the point home, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan toured television sets on Sunday to assure that the United States remained "vigilant" in this
regard
.
He reaffirmed Washington's warning to Beijing of the "
consequences
" of such a supply of arms.
“
We will continue to send a strong message that sending military aid to Russia at this time...would be a big mistake and China should not take part
,” he said. on CNN.
"It's not a threat"
According to him, the war in Ukraine poses “
serious complications
” for the Chinese but if Beijing decides to take the plunge and supply arms to Moscow, it would generate “
real costs
” for it.
Washington refuses to detail what these “
costs
” would be but has a wide range of sanctions capable of hitting the Chinese economy.
President Joe Biden had himself indicated in an interview on ABC on Friday that he had had a conversation on this subject with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, discussing the consequences of such support, recalling that the war in Ukraine had led to the withdrawal of many companies in Russia.
"
It's not a threat
" but a fact, he told the Chinese president.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: China calls for “peace”, closing ranks with Russia
During a virtual summit on Friday, the leaders of the G7 countries also threatened "
severe costs
" for countries that would come to the aid of Russia in order to circumvent Western sanctions.
This war is a delicate matter for Beijing, because of its strong diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow, consolidated by the common interest of counterbalancing Washington.
China had so far refrained from taking a position on the Russian invasion.
She put forward a 12-point document on Friday in which she urges the two belligerents to dialogue, insists on respect for territorial integrity and opposes any recourse to nuclear weapons.
“
Taiwan tomorrow
”
Seen from Washington, Beijing is thus trying to play on “
two tables
”, a balancing act that is increasingly difficult to maintain.
As for the Republican opposition to President Biden, it was also worried about possible Chinese aid to Russia, with Taiwan in its sights, an island whose sovereignty Beijing claims.
“
It may be Ukraine today but it will be Taiwan tomorrow.
This is why this is very important
,” said the Republican leader of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, Michael McCaul, on the ABC channel.
