China said it has not sought to benefit from the fighting in Ukraine, comments that came as Russia’s top diplomat arrived in Beijing to discuss issues including the war.

“China is not the creator of, nor a party to, the Ukraine crisis, and we have not and will not do anything to seek profit from it,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on April 8.

“Beijing will continue to promote peace talks in our own way (and) maintain communication with relevant parties, including Russia and Ukraine.”

China has “always controlled” exports of dual-use items whose military applications are alleged to have assisted Russian troops, she added.

“Relevant countries should not smear and attack the normal state-to-state relations between China and Russia… let alone shift the blame onto China and provoke bloc confrontation.”

Ms Mao did not mention the US by name, but Washington is warning allies that Beijing has stepped up its support for Moscow, including by providing geospatial intelligence, to help it in its war against Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden raised concerns about the matter with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their recent call, White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

nd in a sign of the US’ urgency on the issue, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said during her visit to China that its banks and exporters should not bolster Russia’s military capacity, warning “they will face significant consequences if they do”.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in China on April 8 for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The discussions will focus on topics including Ukraine and the situation in Asia-Pacific, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said.

Beijing and Moscow have intensified their partnership since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, helping shield Russia from unprecedented Western sanctions.

In March, Mr Wang trumpeted a “new paradigm” in China’s ties with Russia. Two-way trade hit a record US$240 billion (S$324 billion) in 2023, driven by Chinese imports of Russian oil and exports of cars and electronics.

Mr Putin is set to visit China in May in what could be his first overseas trip since winning re-election in a tightly controlled vote, Reuters reported in March. The Russian President, who has met Mr Xi more than 40 times, was last in China in October.

Mr Xi told Mr Putin at the time that deepening ties between their nations was not an expedient but a long-term solution. BLOOMBERG