The largest dam in Ukraine was damaged by a Russian attack/Telegram
China is helping Russia's war effort in Ukraine by helping Moscow with its largest military buildup since the Soviet era - this is what senior American officials said this evening (Friday), adding that Beijing is providing Moscow with drone and missile technology, satellite images and work machinery.
The officials, who spoke anonymously There, they said that US President Joe Biden raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping in their last phone call, and that this is an issue that the US is discussing with its allies in Europe and around the world.
One of the sources said that Chinese materials fill critical gaps in the cycle Russia's defense manufacturing and helping Moscow carry out "its most ambitious defense industry expansion since the Soviet era and on a faster timeline than we thought possible early in this conflict."
He said, "We believe that one of the possible game-changing moves at this time is to support Ukraine is to convince China to stop helping Russia rebuild its military industrial base. Russia will have difficulty sustaining its war effort without China's intervention."
The Chinese embassy in Washington claimed that Beijing does not supply weapons to any side in the war and that it was not responsible for it or involved in it.
Those American officials, who briefed a limited number of reporters in Washington, were based on classified intelligence information. They outlined a wide range of ways in which China is aiding Russia's two-year war against Ukraine without providing it with lethal means.
Biden is pressing the Republicans who control the US House of Representatives to approve a major aid package for Ukraine as it struggles to stem the momentum of Russian forces amid growing shortages of weapons and manpower.
The United States and its allies have recently sharpened their tone in dealing with Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and against Taiwan. China says it's part of anti-Chinese rhetoric that surfaced this week in Biden's talks with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines, while the White House has denied it.
The US officials added that Russia is likely to import tools from China to increase its ballistic missile production. They named Dalian Machine Tool Group, one of China's leading machine tool manufacturers, as one of the companies supplying equipment to Russia.
According to them, in 2023, 90% of Russia's microelectronic component imports came from China, and it was used by Moscow to manufacture missiles, tanks and planes. According to them, Chinese companies provide Chinese optical components for use in Russian systems, including tanks and armored vehicles.
The sources also said that China supplied Russia with drone engines and turbo-jet engines for cruise missiles, and that Chinese and Russian entities are working to jointly manufacture drones within Russia. According to them, Chinese companies also apparently supply Russia with nitrocellulose for the production of weapons fuels, thereby helping Russia rapidly expand its ability to produce essential ammunition such as artillery shells.
The U.S. officials also said China is helping Russia improve its satellite and other space capabilities for its war in Ukraine, increasing the Russian threat across Europe. According to them, the United States has information that China is providing satellite images to Russia for its war.
The two superpowers have strengthened their relations in recent years, and their leaders Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have declared that their alliance "has no limits". This week the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, met with the Chinese leader in Beijing ahead of the soon expected meeting between him and Putin.