Germany’s Olaf Scholz warns of ‘consequences’ if China sends arms to Russia

The German chancellor has urged Beijing to instead use its influence to press Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine

US officials have warned recently that China could step off the sidelines and begin providing arms and ammunition to Moscow

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen in Meseberg, Germany on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 3:33am, 6 Mar 2023Updated: 8:28am, 6 Mar 2023

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says there would be “consequences” if China sent weapons to Russia for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, but he is fairly optimistic that Beijing will refrain from doing so.

Scholz’s comments came in an interview with CNN that was broadcast on Sunday, two days after he met US President Joe Biden in Washington.

US officials have warned recently that China could step off the sidelines and begin providing arms and ammunition to Moscow. Ahead of his trip, Scholz had urged Beijing to refrain from sending weapons and instead use its influence to press Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Asked by CNN if he could imagine sanctioning China if it did aid Russia, Scholz replied: “I think it would have consequences, but we are now in a stage where we are making clear that this should not happen, and I’m relatively optimistic that we will be successful with our request in this case, but we will have to look at (it) and we have to be very, very cautious”.

He did not elaborate on the nature of the consequences. Germany has Europe’s biggest economy, and China has been its single biggest trading partner in recent years.

Back in Germany on Sunday, Scholz was asked after his Cabinet met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen whether he had received concrete evidence from the US that China was considering weapons deliveries and whether he would back sanctions against Beijing if it helped arm Russia.