Joe Biden’s team hardens its view of China tilting towards Putin on Ukraine

Bloomberg

China’s muted response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has hardened views within the Biden administration that President Xi Jinping may be moving closer to supporting Moscow as the conflict continues, according to several people familiar with the matter.
Even as the Chinese government publicly voices some support for the Ukrainian people and calls for a peaceful solution, top American officials see signs that China is seeking ways to soften the blow of sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and its allies, according to the people, who say they have knowledge of deliberations in Beijing.
The people, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, did not offer details on how China might be able to offset the economic consequences of the sanctions. They also declined to elaborate on US sources of information about China’s government and its interactions with the Kremlin. Some of the people said China is also considering supplying Russia with weapons such as armed drones.
Beijing denies that it has tacitly backed the invasion and Chinese officials have rejected US reports that Russia asked China for financial and military assistance shortly after touching off the war, labeling them disinformation.
“We’re concerned that they’re considering directly assisting Russia with military assistance to use in Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. In his call with Xi, Biden is expected to try to persuade his Chinese counterpart to back away from any support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war. Asked for comment on this story, a representative from the Chinese embassy in Washington referred to remarks from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who accused the US of “creating and spreading false information.”
Chinese officials have said they seek to foster a diplomatic solution to the crisis.