The United States is reaching out to close allies about the possibility of coordinating sanctions against China if the country provides lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing four unnamed U.S. officials and other sources.
The Biden administration's attempts to get ahead of China's support for Russia have included informal communications at the staff and diplomatic levels, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. It was not made clear by the sources what sanctions exactly were under consideration.
According to one source who spoke to Reuters, the U.S. wanted to "take pulses" among its allies on imposing sanctions on China if any shipments are, in fact, detected.
"On the G7 front, I think there is real awareness," a second source told Reuters.
The U.S. Treasury Department, one of the agencies that oversees sanctions, declined to comment to Reuters.
Multiple U.S. officials have publicly stated over the past month that China was considering providing lethal aid to Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi that doing so "would have serious consequences in our relationship," Reuters reported on Feb. 19. On Feb. 24, CIA Director Bill Burns confirmed in an interview that China is considering sending lethal aid to Russia.
