US concerned about China's alignment with Russia: State Department
Tech2Dec 31, 2022
The US is concerned by China's alignment with Russia as Moscow continues its invasion of Ukraine, the US State Dept. said on Friday. "Beijing claims to be neutral, but its behavior makes clear it is still investing in close ties to Russia," a spokesperson said, adding Washington was "monitoring Beijing’s activity closely."
It comes as the leaders of both countries, Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, held a videoconference call broadcast on state television earlier in the day. Putin said Russia's ties with China are the "best in history" and expressed his desire to increase military cooperation with Beijing. He further said he was expecting Xi to visit Moscow in 2023.
The US has rightly warned China about military assistance or helping Russia evade sanctions. The world is now watching to see which nations stand up for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination, and sovereignty and which stand by or tacitly support Russia in its premeditated and unprovoked war of choice — a path China is dangerously inclined to take.
Once again, the US — constantly cozying up to key global players — is embodying double standards and using the war in Ukraine as an excuse to do so. Even before the conflict, Washington was uncomfortable with Moscow-Beijing cooperation, and its ongoing effort to drive a wedge between the two nations is an obvious Hail Mary play to protect its hegemonic status.
There's a 50% chance the size of Ukraine's army will be at least 250K as a result of a cease-fire or treaty negotiations with Russia, according to the Metaculus prediction community.