The US Department of State has confirmed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed, in conversations with allies, concern about the nature of cooperation between China and Russia, which contributes to the ability of the Russian military-industrial complex to continue supplying the Russian army.

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the United States Department of State, was asked at a press briefing about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) support for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and Blinken’s efforts to discuss this with US allies.  

"So we have been concerned really since the outset of that conflict about the PRC’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine and have been especially concerned over recent months about its efforts to help Russia reconstitute its defense industrial base," Miller said, adding that Blinken had spoken about this with a number of partner states.

"We have seen in recent months that the PRC has started to rebuild that industrial base.  Essentially, they’ve been backfilling the trade from European partners that was suspended after the invasion and sanctioned, and that they have been helping provide the components that increase Russia’s capabilities to attack Ukraine," Miller said. 

He added that this could have long-term security consequences for both Europe and the world, so Blinken shared this information with allies and spoke to them about the need to monitor and prevent these processes.  

Earlier, the Financial Times, citing unnamed officials, reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, in communication with counterparts in the EU and NATO, that China's assistance to Russia was "at a concerning scale", especially when it comes to producing optical equipment, propellants and space equipment. 

Meanwhile, Janet Yellen, US Secretary of the Treasury, said that she had "difficult conversations" about Ukraine during a four-day visit to China and warned China that Chinese companies cooperating with the Russian military-industrial complex might suffer serious consequences.