US Warns China Of ‘Consequences’ If It Provides Military Aid To Russia
(Niamh Harris) The US has warned that it is prepared to impose consequences on China’s communist regime should it provide lethal military aid to Russia for the ongoing war in Ukraine.
During a Feb 22 press briefing, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the regime would not escape sanctions if it attempted to further assist Russia’s conquest.
“We have been clear with the PRC that consequences would befall them if they were to provide lethal assistance,” Price said using an acronym for the official name of communist China, the People’s Republic of China.
Yahoo News reports: Price predicted that China would suffer “reputational costs” if it were to follow through with providing Russia with lethal aid.
“Already, it is providing diplomatic support. It is providing economic support. It is … spewing propaganda that serves to amplify the lies, the distortions, the myths, the half-truths that are emanating from Moscow,” he said.
Later in the press conference, a reporter questioned what possible leverage the U.S. has as a deterrent if China sides with Russia.
Price said there was “an advantage to some degree of ambiguity.”
“We have been clear with the PRC about the fact that consequences would befall them if they were to provide lethal assistance, but we think it’s most effective if we leave that ambiguous and we continue to warn consistently of those consequences,” Price said.