The US is concerned about Chinese private companies helping Russia, Blinken says.

BEIJING — While the United States has seen no sign that the Chinese government has decided to send deadly aid to Russia, it is concerned that private Chinese companies will provide equipment and technology that Moscow’s military could use in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony said. J. Blinken. said Monday.

“That worries us,” Mr Blinken told a press conference in Beijing after a meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping. He said he raised concerns with Chinese officials and “urged them to be vigilant”.

Mr Blinken said in February that China was considering sending deadly aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine. The Chinese government denied considering such actions, but Mr Blinken and other US officials have repeated that claim in recent months.

Mr Blinken reiterated on Monday that the United States had seen no indication that Beijing had decided to provide such aid, saying: “We have not seen anything to the contrary at this point.”

His emphasis on private companies suggested that US officials distance themselves from their accusations about the Chinese government’s intentions. But Mr. Blinken did not publicly address the reasons for Washington’s concerns about Chinese companies.

Mr Blinken also met with top Chinese foreign policy officials on Sunday and Monday. He said he had told Chinese officials that the United States welcomed Beijing’s efforts to promote a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine, if those efforts resulted in a “just peace” based on the charter of the United Nations.

Mr Blinken has said that a just peace means a peace that results in lasting security for Ukraine and does not leave Ukrainian territory in Russian hands.