China fears US will turn focus on it if Russia defeated in Ukraine war: Report

BEIJING: Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has told EU leaders that Beijing does not want to see Russia losing its war with Ukraine because the US would then shift its whole focus towards China, a candid admission that surprised officials in Brussels, a media report said.

Wang's comment during his talks with EU's Kaja Kallas - bloc's de facto foreign affairs chief - would confirm what many in Brussels believe to be Beijing's position, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Friday. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning parried the question about Wang's comments at a media briefing.

Wang is currently on a tour of the EU. Some EU officials involved were surprised by Wang's remarks, the Post reported. However, Wang is said to have rejected the accusation that China was materially supporting Russia's war effort, insisting if it was doing so, the war would have ended long ago.

During a four-hour debate on a wide range of issues, Wang was said to have given Kallas a lesson in realpolitik, part of which focused on Beijing's belief that Washington would soon turn its full attention eastward. One interpretation of Wang's statement in Brussels is that while China did not ask for the war, its prolongation may suit its strategic needs, so long as US remains engaged in Ukraine, the Post reported.