China has already decided to provide Russia with economic and financial support during its war with Ukraine, and is contemplating sending military supplies such as armed drones, US officials said on Monday.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan laid out Washington’s case against Russia’s invasion in an “intense” seven-hour meeting in Rome with Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪), pointing out that Moscow had feigned interest in diplomacy while preparing for invasion, and also that the Russian military was clearly showing signs of frailty.
The US delegation in Rome had not expected the Chinese diplomats to negotiate, seeing them as message deliverers to Beijing.
“It was an intense seven-hour session, reflecting the gravity of the moment, as well as our commitment to maintaining open lines of communication,” a senior US official said. “This meeting was not about negotiating specific issues or outcomes, but about a candid, direct exchange of views.”
Asked if it had been successful, the official replied: “I suppose it depends on how you define success, but we believe that it is important to keep open lines of communication between the United States and China, especially on areas where we disagree.”
However, US officials walked away from the Rome meeting pessimistic that the Chinese government would change its mind about backing Moscow.
“The key here is first to get China to recalculate and re-evaluate their position. We see no sign of that re-evaluation,” another US official familiar with the discussions said. “They’ve already decided that they’re going to provide economic and financial support, and they underscored that today. The question really is whether they will go further.”
Top of the Russian military shopping list in China are armed drones and various forms of ammunition, but any military transfers would not be straightforward.
“Both sides understand that they don’t share common systems, and so that makes it problematic,” the official said.
CNN reported that the Russian military is also asking for ration packs, underlining its severe logistical problems in a more prolonged and tougher conflict than it anticipated.
There is pessimism in Washington about the possibility of steering China away from throwing in its lot in with Russia, largely because it sees the partnership as being driven from the top.
“It really is a project of [Chinese President] Xi Jinping (習近平). He is totally, fundamentally behind this closer partnership with Russia,” the US official said.
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