US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that China is considering providing Russia with arms and ammunition for the conflict in Ukraine.
According to Mr. Blinken, Chinese businesses are already offering "non-lethal support" to Russia, and new data suggests Beijing may do the same.
He cautioned China that this escalation would have "serious consequences.".
Moscow reportedly requested military hardware, but China has denied this.
Despite being a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping has not yet denounced Russia's invasion and has advocated for peace.
The US's "coercion" and "finger pointing" regarding China's relations with Russia, according to the foreign ministry of China, are unacceptable.
Following his Saturday encounter with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, at the Munich Security Conference, Mr. Blinken spoke with CBS.
He claimed that he "deeply worried" during the meeting about the "possibility that China will provide lethal material support to Russia.".
We have seen Chinese businesses so far. support Russia in a non-lethal way so that it can use it in Ukraine. Our current worry stems from knowledge that they may be considering offering lethal support, he said.
He made no further mention of the details of the information the US had about China's potential plans. He responded that it would be primarily weapons and ammunition when asked what the US thought China might give to Russia.
For allegedly giving satellite images of Ukraine to the mercenary Wagner Group, which provides Russia with thousands of fighters, the US has sanctioned a Chinese company.
"Of course, there's really no distinction between private companies and the state in China," Mr. Blinken told CBS.
A "serious problem for us and in our relationship" would result if China gave Russia access to weapons, he continued.
Following the US's early February shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon, relations between Washington and Beijing were already tense. Despite their heated exchange, both parties appeared ready to put the incident behind them and move on.
However, relations between the US and China would worsen significantly if China provided weapons to support Russian forces in Ukraine.
Mr. Blinken's warning appears to be aimed squarely at discouraging China from taking that action.
Mr. Blinken added that the US was concerned that China might be assisting Russia in evading Western sanctions meant to harm Russia's economy. China is one of the biggest markets for Russian oil, gas, and coal, and bilateral trade between the two countries has been increasing.
Tanks are among the weapons, ammunition, and equipment that NATO members, including the US, are delivering to Ukraine. Fighter jets have not been sent, and Mr. Blinken declined to comment on whether the US would assist other nations in supplying jets.
We have made it very clear that we shouldn't fixate or concentrate on any specific weapons system, he said.
However, he added that the West needed to make sure that Ukraine had the resources it would need for a potential counteroffensive against Russia "in the months ahead". Where some of the fiercest fighting of the war has occurred, Russia is currently attempting to advance in eastern Ukraine.
The remarks by the top US diplomat come ahead of Mr. Wang's planned stop in Moscow as part of his tour of Europe as China's foreign policy chief.
Wang claimed that China had "neither stood by idly nor added fuel to the fire" for the Ukraine war on Saturday in Munich, according to Reuters.
China would release a document outlining its stance on resolving the conflict, according to Mr. Wang. He said the document would state that all nations' territorial integrity must be respected.
Mr. Wang said, "I suggest that everyone start thinking calmly about what kind of efforts we can make to stop this war, especially friends in Europe.
Without identifying the individuals he was referring to, he continued, "Some forces that seem to not want negotiations to succeed, or for the war to end soon.".
According to Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister of Italy, on February 24th, the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Xi, the president of China, is scheduled to give a "peace speech.".
According to Reuters, Mr. Tajani informed Italian radio that Mr. Xi would call for peace without criticizing Russia in his speech.
Mr. Blinken and Mr. Wang also exchanged scathing remarks during their meeting regarding the growing dispute over the alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the US.
The US "will not stand for any violation of our sovereignty," Mr. Blinken declared during the meeting, and "this irresponsible act must never again occur.".
According to Mr. Blinken, other countries were concerned about what he called China's "surveillance balloon program" across five continents, according to CBS.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wang referred to the incident as a "political farce manufactured by the US" and charged that they were "using all means to block and suppress China.". A spy balloon was not sent by China, it was claimed.
The US would "bear all the consequences" if it escalated the dispute over the balloon, Beijing warned on Sunday morning. According to a statement from its foreign ministry obtained by Reuters, China promised to "follow through to the end" if "the US insists on exploiting the issue.".
On Sunday, CBS, the BBC's US broadcasting partner, will air the entire interview.
