China slams US ‘intelligence’, says claims of Beijing giving weapons to Russia mere ‘speculation’

China on Thursday (February 23) slammed the United States intelligence saying that the claims or reports of weapons transfer by Beijing to Moscow for the ongoing Ukraine war were just "speculations".

Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a regular briefing that the so-called intelligence from the US side is nothing but an attempt to smear Beijing.

The remark was a reaction to a report by the Wall Street Journal, which noted that the US government is considering releasing intelligence on China considering supplying weapons to Russia.

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Wang said, "Since the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine, China has been firmly on the side of dialogue and peace, and has played a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation and resolving the crisis by persuading and promoting peace talks in its own way."

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The spokesperson slammed America, stating that the "largest arms provider on the battlefield of Ukraine" keeps smearing the Chinese side for possibly supplying arms to Russia.

He said that such accusations will interfere with the process of a political settlement on the Ukrainian crisis, and will also damage Sino-US relations.

He said, "We urge the US side to stop smearing, relegating responsibilities and adding fuel to the fire irresponsibly, and to work with China and the international community to promote diplomatic negotiations to resolve the crisis."

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'Normal trade exchanges with Russia'

The spokesperson also mentioned that China is maintaining normal exchanges in trade and cooperation with Russia, amid rising concerns by the West over greater alignment between Beijing and Moscow.

Wang told reporters: "China and Russia maintain close communication at multiple levels to promote the development of bilateral relations and contribute to the maintenance of world peace and development."

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China has been branding itself as a peacemaker in the Ukraine war, but some diplomats and analysts claimed that it is an attempt to burnish its image rather than a change of stance.

As quoted by the news agency Reuters, Li Mingjiang, associate professor of international relations at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "At the moment, China’s peace effort will stay at the rhetorical level."

"It's difficult to imagine China taking actual action to mediate between Russia and Ukraine any time soon...this is China’s small posture change, not any substantive policy adjustment on the war," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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