Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave a stern warning to the Chinese Government led by President Xi Jinping. This is related to accusations that Beijing plans to help Russia in its war in Ukraine.
In an interview with CNN International in Washington, Scholz said China would face unspecified sanctions if it interfered in the Ukraine conflict and offered military assistance to Russia.
“I think it will have consequences, but we are now in a stage where we are making it clear that this cannot happen,” Scholz said in the interview which was also quoted. Russia Today that, Monday (6/3/2023).
Beijing has faced a growing wave of accusations from Western officials and media in recent weeks of being potentially open to supplying Russia with military aid. Even so, China continues to deny the accusations, insisting it supports peace in Ukraine.
“China will remain committed to an independent foreign policy of peace,” Premier Li Keqiang said.
Returning from Washington, Scholz declined to answer questions regarding whether US President Joe Biden presented him with concrete evidence to support claims that China was considering arms shipments to Russia.
“We all agree that there should be no transfer of weapons, and the Chinese government has stated that it will not send any. That is what we demand and we are monitoring it,” he explained.
Apart from Premier Li, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning also denied the accusations that China provided weapons to Russia. He called this false information, saying the recent sanctions imposed by the US on Chinese companies were “unreasonable”.
“Sanctioning Chinese companies for no reason is hypocritical and is a blatant act of intimidation,” he concluded.
(luc/luc)
