The US starkly warned China on Thursday against providing arms to Russia amid reports that the Biden administration is internally deliberating whether to publicly release intelligence suggesting Beijing is mulling the option.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said that should China decide to "provide lethal assistance or to provide systematic assistance to Russia," they would do so "at their own peril."
"It would come with costs and consequences from the United States, from the international community," he told reporters. "We're watching this very closely. We've had these conversations directly, candidly, frankly, with the PRC, including when the secretary (of state) met with (China's top diplomat) Wang Yi in Munich just last weekend."
Price was referring to China by its official acronym.
The Wall Street Journal newspaper earlier on Thursday reported that the administration is internally debating the merits of releasing intelligence that shows China is considering sending arms to Moscow to assist its ongoing war against Ukraine.
After meeting with Wang on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has information that indicates China is "considering providing lethal support," stressing "we've made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship."
Blinken is slated to address the UN Security Council on Friday during a ministerial-level meeting to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Asked if the top diplomat would lay out during that meeting the alleged intelligence in the US's possession, Price threw cold water on the suggestion, saying "I wouldn't expect him to go into any detail on this front."
