China Blasts US For Using Ukraine Crisis As Pretext For Sanctions

Just ahead of the upcoming Ukraine peace summit set to be held in Switzerland on June 15–16, China's foreign ministry has blasted Washington's "extremely hypocritical" stance on the war. Spokesman Lin Jian said in a daily briefing that the West is feigning that it's "striving for peace" but all the while fueling and exacerbating the very same conflict.

His comments singled out Washington policy in particular. "The US on the one hand continues to pour weapons and munition into Ukraine, yet on the other shifts the blame of undermining peace and protracting the crisis to other countries. It even sees the crisis as an opportunity to slap sanctions and suppress others," the spokesman said. "All of it reveals the US’s calculations, hypocrisy and what a bully it is."

The statement charged the Biden administration with abusing unilateral sanctions while using the Ukraine crisis as a pretext. Beijing is calling on America to instead "focus on ceasefires, stop wars, restore peace, and play a constructive role."

China is also specifically reacting to the Biden administration's Wednesday rollout of new expanded sanctions against Russia but also Chinese entities accused of helping Moscow skirt the West's punitive measures in response to the Ukraine invasion.

The NY Times noted that "The effort has grown far more complicated in the past six or eight months after China, which had previously sat largely on the sidelines, stepped up its shipments of microchips, machine tools, optical systems for drones and components for advanced weaponry, U.S. officials said."

According to more from the Chinese Foreign Ministry's reaction: 

The US’s unilateral sanctions have created victims all over the world, severely undermined other countries’ sovereignty and security, caused humanitarian tragedies and disrupted industrial and supply chains.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, the US even doubled down on sanctions. Wielding the big stick of sanctions does not solve problems and will only be a major source of risks for the world.

The foreign ministry then emphasized that China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to it. Though it was invited, China has refused to send any representatives to the Swiss peace conference, which has been an initiative of the Zelensky government.

China cited that the conference is essentially pointless without Russia's participation, given that Moscow has not been invited.

"We will not accept smears, pressuring or blame-shifting," Lin Jian continued. "We urge the US to immediately stop slapping illegal unilateral sanctions and play a constructive role in ending the conflict and restoring peace."