Blinken again threatened Beijing with sending weapons to Russia

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken this Wednesday threatened China with the degradation of relations with “many countries” if it supplies weapons to Russia.

“We are concerned that China is considering Russian military action in Ukraine with lethal aid, and we are watching this very, very closely,” the head of the US diplomatic mission in Ankara said on Wednesday.

Blinken’s statements were made by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

“I will not implement the (possible) consequences,” added Blinken, who had already demonstrated Washington’s position last Saturday to the director of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi.

Wang Yi’s warning was given on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, Germany.

“I believe that China understands the risks it can take if it provides such material support to Russia,” Blinken said.

The US Secretary of State said that “because of the contacts” established with “many capitals, China may face a deterioration in the relations it maintains with many countries.”

“This (military supply) can turn into a real problem for China – in relations with many other countries, not just the United States. Therefore, we hope and wish that they refrain from following this path,” the US leader concluded. diplomacy.

Blinken also recalled that U.S. President Joe Biden was talking to People’s Republic of China leader Xi Jinping as early as 2022 about the consequences if Beijing were to supply weapons to Russia or if it came to Moscow’s aid. to bypass international sanctions.

In terms of weapons, Russia has already acquired unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) from the Iranian regime.

Shortly before Blinken’s remarks in Turkey this Wednesday, the Beijing government denied it was considering supplying weapons to Russia for use in its offensive against Ukraine, directly criticizing Washington.

“We do not accept that the United States is pointing the finger at the relationship between China and Russia, much less that it is exerting pressure and coercion,” a foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said on Wednesday.

Wang Wenbin also accused the United States of “spreading false information”.

“It is the United States, not China, that continues to supply weapons to the battlefield. The United States has no right to give orders to China, and we will never accept that the United States dictates or imposes how Sino-Chinese relations should be. be Russian,” said the same representative.

However, the head of American diplomacy announced Washington’s readiness to supply F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, but did not give a time frame on this issue.

“The Biden administration strongly supports the process of upgrading existing F-16s for delivery to Turkey,” Blinken said.

The US Congress objected to the possible sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey due to human rights problems in the country, as well as Ankara’s blockade of Finland and Sweden’s membership in the Atlantic Alliance.

Regarding NATO accession processes, Blinken and Cavusoglu showed differences of opinion, with the US representative citing that the two Scandinavian countries had already taken “concrete measures” and therefore should be taken into NATO “as soon as possible”.

Turkey is denying Sweden a guarantee to host Kurdish activists and supporters it calls “terrorists”, namely members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Blinken is also scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after visiting areas hit by earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria.

The head of US diplomacy announced additional assistance to Turkey ($85 million) to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the earthquake.