Russia cannot lose war in Ukraine, warns China
Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, said Beijing does not want to see a Russian loss because of fears the United States would then shift its focus on to China.
The comments were made during a four-hour meeting between Mr Wang and Kaja Kallas, the vice-president of the European Commission, according to several sources who spoke to the South China Morning Post.
The remarks took many by surprise as Chinese officials do not often speak this candidly, even in closed-door meetings.
According to those familiar with the conversation, Mr Wang also gave Ms Kallas several 'history lessons and lectures' about realpolitik and concerns in Beijing that Washington will gradually turn its attention east.
There are signs that this change is already underway as Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, have both made clear that security in the Indo-Pacific region and mitigating a threat from China is a top priority for the administration.
China has repeatedly said that it is 'not a party' to Russia's war against Ukraine and has denied supplying weapons to Moscow, despite evidence to the contrary, including reports that it supplied Russia with a laser defence system.
Mr Wang's comments are the latest sign that China has a vested interest in the outcome of the war.
Following the exchange, Chinese state media reported that China has 'consistently advocated for peace talks to solve the Ukraine crisis' and welcomed the 'efforts of all parties to reach a comprehensive, lasting and binding peace agreement'.
The remarks came after the US halted weapons shipments to Ukraine because of concerns that America's stockpile is too low.
In a blow to Kyiv, the White House said it will ' put America's interests first following a review of the nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe'.
While those familiar with Mr Wang's meeting with Ms Kallas said it was respectful, soon after it was reported that the upcoming two-day EU summit in China had been shortened, at Beijing's request.
The original agenda had Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping and premier Li Qiang in Beijing on July 24, then travelling to Hefei, in central China, for a business summit on July 25.
Now, the summit will only be one day in Beijing.
Experts suspect the reason the summit was cut short could be because of Chinese concerns that the EU will sign a trade deal with the US that would hurt Beijing.
China has also recently clashed with the EU over export controls of rare earth elements and magnets, which have hit some European manufacturers hard.
Mr Wang tried to offer reassurances about export controls yesterday, saying that 'certain forces are deliberately hyping this matter' and that rare earth exports have never been and should not become an issue between China and Europe.
The summit's shortening seemed to be a snap decision as the EU Chamber of Commerce in China was inviting members to sign up for meetings in Hefei as late as Thursday morning local time.
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