Blinken calls out China for blaming U.S. for Ukraine crisis as Russian forces mount pressure amidst Olympics

A senior Chinese diplomat told Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to not “hype up the crisis” around Ukraine, where Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops along the border.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Blinken during a phone call that all parties should “remain calm and refrain from doing things that stimulated tensions,” according to a statement from Beijing’s foreign ministry.

Wang also echoed Russia’s security justifications for mobilizing on the Ukrainian border.

“The security of one country cannot be at the expense of the security of other countries, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs,” Wang told Blinken, according to local media. “Russia’s reasonable security concerns should be taken seriously and resolved.”

Blinken responded by underscoring the global security and economics risks posed by further Russian aggression and conveyed that de-escalation are the responsible way forward, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price. 

China also used the call to call on the Biden administration to stop what he described as interference with the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics and with Taiwan, which it regards as part of its territory.

Chinese Communist Party leaders are focused on trying to promote the success of the international sporting event despite absent crowds and empty arenas as a result of the regime banning sales to the general public. One spectator the regime is allowing however is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is set to attend the games. Putin and Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping are set to hold a summit, where the two are expected to solidify their alliance.

Western officials had hoped Xi would dissuade Putin from invading Ukraine so it does not overshadow the Olympics. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry made it apparent it is willing to expand support for Moscow.

“There is no ceiling to China-Russia mutual trust, no forbidden zone in our strategic cooperation, and no limit on how far our long-standing friendship can go,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Thursday.