US warns China not to sell arms to Russia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US suspected China was considering providing arms to support Russia in its war in Ukraine. Speaking in Kazakhstan on Tuesday as part of his tour of Central Asian countries, Blinken warned China of the "impact and consequences" of supplying arms to Russia. "We warned China very clearly about the implications and consequences of such support," Blinken said at the Astana press conference after his meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev showered its allies with arms and billions of dollars in financial support. Blinken met representatives of several former Soviet republics this week, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. He warned: “We will not hesitate to target Chinese companies or individuals, for example who violate our sanctions or otherwise engage in support of the Russian war effort."The US Secretary of State went on to highlight that he also raised the issue "directly" with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference in Germany earlier this month. CIA Director William Burns told CBS News on Friday that they are "convinced that the Chinese leadership is considering supplying lethal equipment" to provide military support to Moscow in its conflict with Ukraine. The US intelligence chief warned that such a move by China would be "a very risky and unwise move." that they don't," added Burns.