China warns 'certain countries' to stop 'fuelling the fire' in Ukraine conflict
China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang has said he is deeply concerned about the year-old conflict in Ukraine, which he believes to be "intensifying and even getting out of control".
He was speaking at the launch of a Chinese government paper on its global security initiative when he urged "certain countries" to stop "fuelling the fire" in the Ukraine conflict and "stop shifting blame to China".
Qin said in a speech at a forum held at the foreign ministry that "China is deeply worried that the Ukraine conflict will continue to escalate or even spiral out of control".
He added: "We stand firmly against any form of hegemony, against any foreign interference in China's affairs."
Qin's comments come after the US said that it suspects that China may be about to provide weapons to Russia, with the American Secretary of State warning China against doing so.
Anthony Blinken met with Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi on Saturday evening at the Munich Security Conference in Germany where he urged China not to supply lethal aid to Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with US media after the meeting, Secretary of State Blinken said that Washington was concerned that Beijing was considering supplying weapons to Moscow.
China had agreed to a no-limits partnership with Russia prior to the invasion of Ukraine a year ago.
Since then, Bejing has refused to condemn the invasion, even avoiding using the word "invasion".
However, it believes it has continued to present itself as a neutral party, accusing the US and Nato of fuelling the conflict.
Qin said: "Since the outbreak of the crisis, China has taken an objective and impartial stance based on the merit of the issue."
According to Russia's news agency TASS, China's top diplomat Wang Yi is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday ahead of a "peace speech" President Xi Jinping is reportedly expected to deliver on Friday, the first anniversary of the Ukraine invasion.
UK warns China
Meanwhile, Downing Street has warned China not to support Vladimir Putin's "brutal and illegal" war in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman was pressed on US intelligence assessments indicating Beijing was considering providing arms and ammunition to support the Kremlin's war effort.
The spokesman said: "I obviously can't get into intelligence, but certainly, the UK and US share assessments regularly, as you would expect.
"On this specific issue, any support for Putin's brutal and illegal war against Ukraine is deplorable.
"We expect China to stand up for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.
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