The European Union is discussing possible sanctions against China over evidence that it first supplied Russia with weapons for use in a full-scale war against Ukraine.
Source: European Pravda citing German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
Details: Three FAZ sources said that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell informed member states of intelligence reports on arms shipments from Russia to China.
At a briefing for journalists on Friday, the EU official said that the evidence is overwhelming and confirms the “provision of lethal weapons”.
He did not specify what the evidence was. However, back in September, the media reported on Western intelligence that pointed to covert arms shipments to Russia from China. And Reuters reported that Russia has developed a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones.
The official stated that they now had to look at the whole toolkit, adding that the EU could expand the sanctions list to include a ban on doing business with Chinese companies, as well as restrictions on owning assets and entering the EU.
Another FAZ source said that the EU’s reaction would depend on how China responds to the evidence presented to it.
Background: The EU has previously discussed imposing sanctions on Chinese companies, but has so far refrained from doing so. Instead, the United States announced sanctions against China for the first time in October over its military support for Russia.
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