China has not, will not seek to benefit from Ukraine war: Spokesperson

China said it hasn’t 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.

“We have never and will never seek gains from the crisis,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday. “China regulates the export of dual-use articles in accordance with laws and regulations.”

She added that countries “should not smear or attack the normal relations between China and Russia” or hurt the interests of Chinese firms.

Mao didn’t mention the US by name but Bloomberg News reported earlier that 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.

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

And in a sign of the US’s 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 Sergey Lavrov arrived in China on Monday 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 President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, helping shield Russia from unprecedented Western sanctions.

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

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

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