China denies that Xi Jinping warned Putin that he would come to regret the war against Ukraine
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Xiaokun dismissed these reports as “pure fabrication” and stated that they “do not correspond to the facts”.
This was Beijing’s response to a Financial Times article which, citing sources, claimed that Xi Jinping had made this statement during recent talks with Trump in Beijing.
According to the FT, the Chinese leader allegedly suggested that the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine could turn out to be a strategic mistake for Russia.
The publication also noted that these comments were significantly harsher and more direct than Beijing’s previous public statements on the war.
The Chinese authorities, however, were quick to publicly distance themselves from such remarks. Beijing traditionally seeks to maintain the image of a ‘neutral party’ and a potential mediator in the war, whilst at the same time actively deepening economic cooperation with Moscow.
Against the backdrop of Western sanctions, it is China that has become a key source of technology and components for the Russian economy and defence industry. According to Bloomberg, Russia currently obtains over 90% of sanctioned or restricted technologies via China.
The FT also claimed that during the talks, Trump allegedly proposed that China and Russia coordinate their positions on the International Criminal Court, believing that the three states have common interests regarding the court. Beijing has not commented on this part of the report either.
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