China warns US against impeding ties with Russia

The statement came after Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, claimed Beijing was supporting Moscow's military operation against Ukraine by providing assistance to the Russian defense industry which, according to Washington, is having a destabilizing effect. "China's right to engage in normal economic and trade exchanges with all countries, including Russia should not be undermined," Liu stated, calling Washington's allegations baseless. "The US is organizing a campaign to help Ukraine while making groundless accusations," the Chinese spokesman said, slamming such an approach as "Hypocritical and irresponsible," which he said China firmly opposes. Beijing has previously accused the US and its allies, which together supply the bulk of Kiev's military equipment, of hypocrisy, stating that Western powers should work on bringing Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table instead of "Shifting the blame" onto China for the continued hostilities. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia "Will not be disrupted by any third party." Trade between the two countries has hit all-time highs in light of Western sanctions against Moscow. Last year, mutual trade turnover surpassed $240 billion, according to official data, with Russian imports from China jumping nearly 47% to $111 billion, and exports to China growing by 12.7%, to $129 billion.