China has denied allegations from the European Union that it trained Russian soldiers for the ongoing Ukraine war.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The European Union (EU) has accused China of training Russian military personnel currently involved in the Ukraine war. 📺 DETAIL: On Tuesday, China hit back at allegations from European Union (EU) that it trained Russian soldiers currently fighting in the Ukraine war. Specifically, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s head of foreign affairs, accused China of being a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started in late February 2022. “We have also now verified reports that the Chinese military has been training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine… We are carefully assessing the implications,” said Kallas. She made the accusation during a meeting of the EU’s foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday. China has positioned itself as neutral since the conflict began, although it has previously blamed the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for the outbreak of the war. 🎯 IMPACT: The accusation follows similar claims put forward by backers of Ukraine that China has supported Russia’s invasion through dual-use exports. Dual-use goods are products, software, or technologies that are notionally intended for civilian use but can also be adapted for military use. China also remains a major buyer of Russian oil and gas despite Western sanctions, further compounding concerns that it is indirectly backing Russia. The EU has since imposed sanctions on Chinese tech companies, characterizing such companies as “enablers in third countries” of “Russia’s military-industrial complex.” The fresh accusations of direct, rather than merely indirect, support further strain the relationship between the EU and China. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “The remarks have no factual basis and are purely slander and smears,” insisted Lin Jian, for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 📺 FLASHBACK: The accusation against China coincided with the start of negotiations between the EU and Ukraine to begin the latter’s accession to the 27-country bloc. The country opened policy chapters on the judiciary and fundamental rights, justice, freedom and security, public procurement, statistics, and financial control. The process has started despite the ongoing war with Russia. Negotiations are expected to take several years, with widespread corruption in Ukraine forecast to become a major stumbling block. Ukraine hopes to gain a security guarantee from the EU by becoming a member. This follows reports from May that EU officials were considering a proposal to make Ukraine an “Associate Member” of the EU, granting the country access to EU funds, while denying it voting rights in key institutions. |
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