Hostile Accusations Run Wild Between China And The U.S. On 1-Year Anniversary Of Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Tensions are rising as accusations increase between Chinese and U.S. officials and members of the media, making it harder for audiences to distinguish between fact and war-mongering.

Related: Xi Jinping Planning To Meet Putin In April To Broker Peace Talks With Ukraine

On Thursday, German newspaper Der Spiegel reported Russia was allegedly negotiating with China over the purchase of 100 "kamikaze drones," which would be delivered by April.

On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that any actions from China to provide lethal aid to Russia would be "a game-changer" and "something we would have serious concerns about.”

Those actions would be "unacceptable" from the point of view of the Biden administration and hamper healthy international relations.

In response to Der Spiegel's report, China's foreign ministry said on Friday it was not aware of any talks between Russia and a Chinese company for the purchase of said drones. 

The ministry made a point to say that “there has been a large volume, too much disinformation spread about China on this point. We should be vigilant about the intentions behind this.”

One year after the conflict between Ukraine and Russia broke out, a 43-country-wide survey by Morning Consult showed that favorable views towards Ukraine have diminished amongst civilian populations. In France and Germany, a majority went from having positive views towards Ukraine in the two months after the war, to now having negative news. 

The social and economic impact of Ukrainian refugee populations in those countries could be in part to blame for the shift in attitude.

On Friday, China put forth a 12-point ceasefire plan to end the war, which included the cessation of Western sanctions against Russia, the creation of civilian evacuation pathways through humanitarian corridors and the implementation of measures to guarantee the export of grain from both belligerent nations.

Also on Friday, Global Times, a Chinese tabloid newspaper published by the CCP's People’s Daily, published an op-ed accusing U.S. government officials and U.S. media of searching for more conflicts and hostility while "China wants respect, dialogue and protection for the people most badly affected."

Benzinga's Take: The one-year anniversary of the war has put the global spotlight back on the Russia-Ukraine War.

Just like the U.S., China's real position is nuanced and derived from the many contrasting positions within its leadership. At this point, Benzinga wasn't able to find sufficient information to back the claim that China is planning to support Russia with military aid.

Market Response: The iShares MSCI China ETF (NASDAQ: MCHI) was down 3.1% on Friday and 5.5% overall this week.

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