EU, US slam China over Russia ties, alleged falsehoods on Ukraine invasion
South China Morning Post
5 min read
The European Union and United States have slammed China for allegedly spreading "disinformation" over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, warning that tacit backing for Moscow does not come without consequences.
Chinese state media and official spokespersons have frequently repeated disputed claims about the Russian war, including over the presence of American bioweapons in Ukraine.
"[Chinese] state media has parroted the Kremlin's lies, and conspiracy theories, including absurd claims that Ukraine and Nato and the EU pose a security threat to Russia," US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said after three days of talks with senior EU officials in Brussels about China, Nato and the Indo-Pacific.
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"The United States sees significant alignment between our approach and the EU's approach to [China]," Sherman said.
This came as senior diplomats from both sides attempted to project unity on a transatlantic approach to dealing with China as they met the press on Friday.
A joint EU-US statement following the talks vowed to push Chinese leaders on issues like sanctions circumvention, and "reaffirmed that such support would have consequences for our respective relationships with China".
However, Sherman and EU foreign service chief Stefano Sannino sidestepped a question from the Post about whether both sides were on the same page as to what those consequences might be.
A day earlier, speaking at a public event in the Belgian capital, Sherman had been more forthcoming.
"We've been very direct that [China] have seen what we have done in terms of sanctions, export controls, designations vis-a-vis Russia, so it should give them some idea of the menu from which we could choose if, indeed, China were to provide material support," she said.
"So I think they know what would happen," she added.
The third high-level meeting of the EU-US Dialogue on China came at a crucial geopolitical moment, as Russia's war on Ukraine enters a third month with little sign of respite and mounting accusations of war crimes by Russian forces.
China's position on the conflict continues to be closely scrutinised in the West.
Beijing has yet to condemn the invasion but, in recent meetings with EU leaders, rejected as "disinformation" claims about its being willing to provide military support to Russia.
EU officials concede that there are no signs of China bypassing the broad sanctions imposed on Moscow by more than 40 countries, but patience in Europe for Beijing's refusal to cast off Russian President Vladimir Putin is wearing thin.
Brussels had initially hoped that Beijing could use its influence over Moscow to act as a peacemaker - hopes that were dispelled at an EU-China virtual summit on April 1 that left the Western leaders frustrated and angry at their counterparts' perceived unwillingness to discuss productive solutions to the war.
The US has been pushing behind the scenes for its European allies to adopt a tougher stance, but a consensus is not believed to have been reached on any potential future sanctioning of Beijing.
There was a marked difference in the tones of Sannino and Sherman on Friday, even if their effective underlying message was the same.
"[China] has benefited enormously from the rules-based international order over the last several decades. But now they are increasingly seeking to undermine that very system, including by supporting the Kremlin as it wages its illegal war against Ukraine," Sherman said, echoing remarks made at a Friends of Europe think tank event in Brussels the day before.
Sannino, on the other hand, hoped that China "will continue to work in a responsible manner".
"We need to be sure that this new rapprochement between Russia and China ... is not going against the decisions that have been taken in terms of circumvention of sanctions, or in terms of any other kinds of support that could be given to Russia," he added.
Just days before the US-EU forum, Chinese vice foreign minister Le Yucheng assured Russian ambassador Andrey Denisov of Beijing's aim to "deepen bilateral comprehensive strategic coordination".
China has also dispatched a team of diplomats to Central and Eastern European countries in an attempt to "clarify misunderstanding over Ukraine", according to state media.
Officials from the Czech Republic, which is due to take over the EU's rotating presidency from France in July, used the Brussels meetings to express their reservations on the "current Chinese cooperation with Russia", as foreign ministry spokeswoman Lenka Do put it.
"Any kind of Chinese support of Russia will hurt its relation with the EU," Bloomberg quoted Do as saying.
At a press conference in Beijing on Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected Sherman's earlier critique.
"These statements, especially the accusations against China, are complete cliches and [part of] the same old smear campaign," Zhao said.
