China approved the provision of lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine but wanted any shipments to remain a secret, according to leaked US government documents.
A top-secret intelligence summary dated 23 February states that Beijing had approved the incremental provision of weapons to Moscow, which it would disguise as civilian items, according to a report in the Washington Post.
The intelligence was gathered by US agents eavesdropping on Russia’s secret service discussions, the newspaper reported. The Russians said China’s central military commission wanted the shipments to remain secret, it added.
A separate intelligence file in the trove of leaked documents said Beijing would consider a “significant” Ukrainian strike with US or Nato weapons on Russian territory as an escalation of the conflict that would merit sending arms to Russia.
The files were part of a large batch of leaked classified documents that appeared on the online platform Discord last month. On Friday, Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old accused of leaking the documents, appeared in court in Boston. US officials have said that the documents are authentic and contain highly sensitive information, although some appear to have been doctored.
The leak about China’s willingness to send weapons to Russia appear to be genuine as soon after the date of intelligence reports in February, US government officials made the claim publicly. Beijing has vigorously denied the accusation. There is no evidence that any such weapons have actually been sent.
According to the leaked documents, Russia’s special forces have been gutted by the war in Ukraine. The Washington Post cited an intelligence report stating that one elite unit, the 346th Spetsnaz Brigade has only 125 troops remaining out of 900 deployed. It was not clear when that assessment was made, but it matches analysts’ assessments of Russia’s difficulties in Ukraine.
On Friday, China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, said his country would not provide arms to either side of the conflict, and would also restrict the export of dual-use technology.
Discussing the leaked documents, President Joe Biden said on Thursday: “There’s nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of great consequence.” However, the disclosure of intelligence from less than two months ago undercuts that claim.
China, like Russia, is critical of Nato and has suggested that the conflict was provoked at least in part by the bloc’s expansion.
Beijing says it wants to help mediate a political settlement to the war. But western leaders see Xi Jinping’s clear allegiance to Vladimir Putin as undermining that stance.
In March, Xi visited Putin in Moscow and raised a glass to the “deepening of the Russian-Chinese partnership”. Trade between the two countries has grown since the start of the war, and China sees Russia as an important ally against a US-led world order.
Xi has tried to position himself as a global statesman, with the recent China-brokered deal to restore diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran being cited in Chinese media as an example of China’s positive influence on global peace. But many analysts think Xi’s clear support for Russia makes a China-brokered deal in Ukraine impossible. Xi was expected to call Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, after visiting Moscow but the call has yet to materialise.
On Friday, the Russian defence ministry said its minister, Sergei Shoigu, would meet his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, on Sunday.
