China Slams Claims About Russia Asking for Military Assistance in Ukraine Op as 'US Disinformation'

Earlier, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy to the United States reportedly rejected media allegations that Moscow had sought Beijing's help with military equipment and other logistics for its operation to de-Nazify Ukraine. Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the embassy, reportedly told Reuters on Sunday that he had "never heard of that."

China's Foreign Ministry has slammed claims by US officials that Russia allegedly asked Beijing for military equipment after the start of its special operation to demilitarise Ukraine as 'disinformation'.

Furthermore, the United States must fully clarify its military-biological activities on the territory of Ukraine, added the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Reference here was made to the documents, released on 10 March by the Russian Ministry of Defence, related to the suspected military biological activities of the United States on the territory of Ukraine. The US Defence Threat Reduction Agency played the leading role in financing and developing components for biological weapons, according to the Russian MoD.

The comments, coming during a regular Chinese foreign ministry briefing in Beijing, came after earlier a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy to the United States, Liu Pengyu, was reported by Reuters as rejecting media allegations that Moscow had approached Beijing for military equipment and other logistical support, saying he had "never heard of that."

"The current situation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting,... The high priority now is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even getting out of control," the Chinese diplomat noted in response to Reuters.

US officials were also reported by Reuters as confirming that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan intended to meet with senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday to warn that Beijing would face economic penalties should it extend Russia aid in its ongoing operation to demilitarize Ukraine. Siding with Russia, according to cited US officials, would result in further global isolation of China, Sullivan plans to underscore.

The fallout for Beijing would purportedly affect trade flows, development of new technologies and, possibly, secondary sanctions. Last week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Chinese companies which defy American restrictions on exports to Russia may be cut off from the US-made equipment and software they require to make their products.

The US could "essentially shut" down Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp or other Chinese companies who continue to supply chips and other advanced technology to Russia, Raimondo said in an interview for the New York Times.

Ever since Russia announced on 24 February its special military operation in Ukraine, seeking to demilitarize and achieve a "de-nazification" of Ukraine, China has been under pressure from Washington over the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) relationship with the Kremlin.

On Saturday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stressed that the CCP is pursuing a peaceful independent foreign policy, and called for all member nations to respect the UN charter that states, in part, "to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also commented on the state of Russia-China ties on 7 March, calling Moscow Beijing’s “most important strategic partner.” He added the relationship remains “one of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world,” and one “conducive to world peace, stability and development.”