'The million dollar question': Ukraine war poised to take centre stage at tense EU-China summit
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is set to take centre stage during a virtual high-level meeting between EU and Chinese leaders on Friday, that comes on the heels of months of strained relations.
Brussels is bent on pushing Beijing to maintain a hands-off, equidistant approach in the conflict, fearing any sort of intervention could offer the Kremlin a much-needed boost to re-energise its stalled military campaign.
China is under intense scrutiny by the international community for its deliberately ambiguous role in the war, which has now entered its second month with no resolution in sight.
On the one hand, Beijing has expressed support for Ukraine's independence, called for "maximum restraint" and even offered help to secure a ceasefire.
But on the other hand, it has criticised Western sanctions against Russia, denounced NATO for its "Cold War mentality" and abstained on a United Nations resolution that condemned the invasion.
United States officials have warned China is willing to provide Moscow with economic and financial aid to weather the fallout of the hard-hitting sanctions and is also contemplating sending military help.
China has vigorously denied the accusations. Brussels says it has so far not seen any indication of military aid.
But an encounter on Wednesday between the Chinese and Russian foreign affairs ministers, Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov, sent a strong signal the two countries are standing together.
"Both sides are more determined to develop bilateral ties, and are more confident in promoting cooperation in various fields," Wang said while hosting his counterpart for a two-day meeting focused on Afghanistan.
"China is willing to work with Russia to take China-Russian ties to a higher level in a new era under the
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