Ahead of the meeting between the top aides of the US and the Chinese governments in Rome, White House National Security adviser Jake Sullivan has bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
Sullivan, who is due to meet with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi, warned Beijing it would "absolutely" face consequences if it helped Moscow evade the sanctions.
Meanwhile, US officials are also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Vladimir Putin's forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has shown support for Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with "no limits."
In his talks with Yang Jiechi, Sullivan will indeed be looking for limits in what Beijing will do for Moscow.
"I'm not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats," he told CNN in a round of Sunday news show interviews. "But what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences" if China helps Russia "backfill" its losses from the sanctions.
"We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world," he said.
Besides, a US official said that Russia has asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine. This request is also likely to come up when the top aides of the US and Chinese governments meet in Rome.
(With AP inputs)
