China's trade with Russia hit a record $190 billion in 2022 as Moscow deepens partnership with Beijing amid withering western sanctions
Business InsiderNov 26, 2022
The Facts
The Biden admin. has raised concerns with China regarding evidence that alleges that Chinese companies have sold non-lethal equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine. US officials said that the admin. wants to determine how much the PRC central government knows about the transactions.
US and European intelligence sources said that the equipment includes items such as flak jackets and helmets but does not include the more powerful military assistance that Russia has requested from China.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
The US must remain firm with China and not allow Beijing to aid Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine. With China’s government facing a series of political and economic problems, the US is in a prime position to reason with Beijing and persuade it to refrain from supporting Russia. The US must play hardball to protect the international order.
Pro-Russia narrative
The West is trying to drive a wedge between Russia and China despite the two nations enjoying a "golden age" of relations. The US is not strong enough to contain both countries at the same time, and it is trying to police the relations between sovereign nations and impose its Western ideology. The US is not the master of the global order and sovereign states should be able to conduct legal business as they see fit.
