The US questions Britain's claim that China is providing lethal aid to Russia.

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The United States has questioned claims by Britain's defense secretary that China is providing lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Grant Shapps on Wednesday accused China of providing or preparing to provide Russia with lethal aid for Moscow to use in its war against Ukraine.

“Today I can reveal that there is evidence that Russia and China are cooperating on combat equipment for use in Ukraine,” Shapps told a defense conference in London, adding that the arms flow was an important development.

But US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US had not observed that China had provided weapons directly to Russia, adding that he would speak with his British colleagues to better understand the defense secretary's comments.

We've never seen that before. “I look forward to having conversations with the UK to make sure we have a common operating picture,” Sullivan said.

Although U.S. officials have previously said China has not provided direct technological lethal assistance, they have emphasized that China is supplying Russia with technology to enter the Ukrainian battlefield.

The Chinese government on Thursday condemned baseless and irresponsible comments by British politicians.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: “These comments were not recognized even by close allies,” adding, “Slandering China will not solve the difficult problems we face within the UK.”

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Shapps' comments appeared to indicate that China had potentially pivoted to directly supporting Russian troops in Ukraine, but he did not provide details or evidence. British defense officials refused to clarify what he meant by lethal support.

A senior European defense official said we need to look at how important China's support is. If it's material, it's bad news for the war in Ukraine. China has many resources.

Chinese companies have emerged as an important conduit for Russia, supplying the critical dual-use components and equipment the Kremlin needs to sustain its defense industry, but Beijing has largely been reluctant to directly support Moscow's war machine.

China went beyond supporting the invasion, but provided Russia with a vital economic lifeline after Western sanctions cut Moscow off from global markets and supply chains.

Shapps said the increase in trade between China and Russia since the invasion began shows the two countries have developed a deeper relationship.

His remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing last week for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Putin was accompanied by new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Security Council Chairman Sergei Shoigu, and Putin held several meetings in China, including a private dinner with Xi Jinping.

At the start of the Ukraine war, the United States believed China was on the verge of sending lethal aid to Russia, but backed down under American pressure. China has denied all U.S. accusations, insisting its exports were part of normal trade.

Last month, China's embassy in the United States said it had not provided weapons and was neither a producer nor a party involved in the Ukraine crisis.

When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China in late April, he said there was no indication that China was sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Blinken said what China is doing, or what some companies are doing, is providing key components such as machine tools, microelectronics and optics to Russia's defense industrial base.

But this month the United States sanctioned Chinese companies, including two groups, that allegedly supplied Russia with drones, weapons and ammunition, in addition to chips, sensors and other military-related technology.

Elina Ribakova, a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said it was unclear whether Shapps' comments signaled a true shift in China's policy toward direct arms supplies.

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She said the comments could reflect Russia's success in securing critical components for its defense industry from China. Chinese companies supplied 60% of dual-use high-tech products imported by Russia last year, according to a Financial Times analysis of Russian trade data.

China knows how little visibility the United States has into Sino-Russian trade. Ribakova will begin supplying parts to Russia in the summer of 2022. It was no surprise, she said, that they felt empowered.

Britain's Ministry of Defense declined to comment. The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment.

Additional reporting by Demetri Sevastopulo in Dublin, Felicia Schwartz in Washington and Wenjie Ding in Beijing

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