China is the primary contributor to Russia’s military industry complex, as Moscow grinds ahead with its invasion of Ukraine, providing Russia with inputs and components for weaponry, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday during a meeting of G7 ministers in Capri, Italy.
“When it comes to Russian’s defense the primary contributor at this moment to that, is China. We see China sharing machine tools, semi-conductors, other dual use items that have helped Russia rebuild its defense industrial base that sanctions and export controls had done so much to degrade,” he said.
Blinken said China cannot have it both ways — helping Russia and keeping good relations with Europe.
“If China purports on the one hand to want good relations with Europe and other countries, it can’t on the other hand be fueling what is the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War,” Blinken tells a news conference after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri, where he urged his European counterparts to increase pressure on Beijing.
