US cautions China of red line in Ukraine war ahead of Blinken visit

Washington [US], January 20 (ANI): Two weeks ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's reported visit to Beijing next month, the United States laid out its red line and cautioned China against material and security assistance to Russia in the Ukraine conflict.
"I don't have a new assessment to offer," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told Voice of America (VOA) last week when asked if it is still Washington's assessment that Beijing is not providing security assistance to Russia.
"If we see the PRC taking action to systemically assist Russia evade sanctions, of course there will be costs," said Price.
This remark comes as the United States closely monitors any decisions by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in response to Russian requests for security assistance amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, US broadcaster VOA reported. The report said Washington has taken note of reports about multiple visits to China by Russian transport aircraft.
Earlier this week, US-based Politico reported that United States State Secretary Blinken will visit China on February 5-6. Blinken's agenda is expected to include Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China's nuclear arsenal and US citizens held in China, the report said.
The newspaper cited Washington-based diplomats familiar with Blinken's travel plans that the US state secretary will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on February 5-6.
Blinken's visit to Beijing is a follow-up to US leader Joe Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia in November 2022, at which Biden vowed to 'maintain open lines of communication' with China.
The trip will also test whether the meeting between the two presidents has paved the way for more productive US-China relations at a time of tensions.
According to Politico, neither the US State Department nor the Chinese government has released details of Blinken's upcoming Beijing visit. (ANI)