Friday, March 29, 2024

China says it will keep up ‘normal cooperation’ with Russia

China says it will keep up ‘normal cooperation’ with Russia
China’s ambassador to the US has defended his country’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, contending such a rebuke will do nothing to stop the violence.

China’s ambassador to the US has defended his country’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, contending such a rebuke will do nothing to stop the violence.

Qin Gang told the CBS television network’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that China’s condemnation would not help and that he is doubtful it would have any effect on Russia.

He said China wants “friendly, good neighborly relations with Russia” and will keep up “normal trade, economic, financial, energy cooperation with Russia” as it continues “to promote peace talks” and urge an immediate ceasefire from Russia through negotiation and diplomacy.

Qin said China is not providing any military assistance to Russia. He insisted that China remains “against a war” and “will do everything” – short of condemnation – “to deescalate the crisis”.

Meanwhile, US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh has said that the US could still expand sanctions and reach “the commanding heights” of Russia’s economy.

In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, Singh said that Russia is already “looking into an economic abyss” and is “on a fast track to a 1980s-style Soviet living standards”.

Despite the economic toll caused sanctions already enacted, Singh said that they could still be broadened and applied to other targets, including more banks and “sectors that we haven’t touched”.

“It’s mostly about oil and gas, but there are other sectors too,” he said. “I don’t want to specify them, but I think Putin would know what those are.”

Singh noted that projections suggest that Russia’s economy will be half the size that it was before the invasion of Ukraine.

“We take no pride in the suffering of the Russian people,” he said. “This is Putin’s war. These are Putin’s sanctions. And this is Putin’s hardship he’s putting on the Russian people.”

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