Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, soaked in rain, stands at a lecturn as he delivers a speech to announce July 4 as the date of the UK's next general election, at 10 Downing Street in central London, on May 22, 2024. Photo: VCG

China condemned on Thursday the UK's accusation that it was providing "lethal aid" to Russia amid the Ukraine crisis, noting the claims made by the UK's defense secretary have even been questioned by its major ally, the US. Given that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party badly lags in the polls ahead of July elections, the Conservatives will undoubtedly seize every opportunity to take a strong stance against China, experts said. 

British defense secretary Grant Shapps accused China on Wednesday of providing or preparing to provide Russia with lethal aid for use in its war against Ukraine, Reuters reported. 

However, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington had not observed that China had directly provided weapons to Russia and added that he would speak with UK colleagues to better understand the defense secretary's comments, according to the Financial Times. 

We condemn the UK politician's groundless and irresponsible vilification of China. We noted the fact those remarks from the UK side were not even seconded by its "close ally,"
 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told the Global Times during a press conference on Thursday. 

Let me be clear, it's the UK, not China, that has been fanning the flames on Ukraine. It's reported that two years ago when Russia and Ukraine were close to an agreement to end the conflict, it was the UK, among others, that jumped in the way to stop it and the conflict has continued since, Wang noted. 

"Just as China and the international community work hard to cool down the situation, the UK side once again made irresponsible remarks, which is quite alarming," the spokesperson said. 

The Chinese Embassy in the UK also denounced the accusation from the British side early Thursday, saying that such claims are totally groundless.

The British defense secretary accused China of providing lethal weapons to Russia, against the backdrop of the UK hyping the so-called threat of close China-Russia ties and pushing for increased defense spending within NATO, Li Guanjie, a research fellow with the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

The UK has been ramping up efforts to hype China-related issues as London aligns more closely with Washington in foreign policy, some experts said, while also noting that a smear campaign has been intensifying with the upcoming general election.

Sunak on Wednesday called a national election for July 4, as his Conservative party currently lags far behind its Labour opponents in polls.

The current Conservative government is in a precarious period, which is why Sunak is calling for an early election as a last-ditch effort. In this context, it is difficult to interpret the statements of the UK government's cabinet members as strategic or planned actions regarding China, Gao Jian, director of the Center for British Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"Why does the UK official dare to make such claims when the US said there is no evidence of China providing lethal weapons to Russia? Because the political cost of such claims is low, with no regard for credibility," Gao said, noting that those claims are only made to grab attention, extend political life, and gain favor with anti-China forces.

What we would like to say to the UK politician is that vilifying China will not get the UK out of its difficult spot on Ukraine, still less solve the UK's thorny domestic issues. Instead of falsely accusing China, why not take a hard look at what role the UK itself has played on the Ukraine issue, Wang said.

While some experts believed that UK voters care most about issues related to their livelihoods rather than China-related topics, some said the Conservatives will undoubtedly seize the opportunity to take a strong stance against China, given that its polling lags behind Labour's. 

"In fact, the UK does not have the courage, strength, or ability to threaten our core interests. If they do step on our core interests, such as on the Taiwan question, the Chinese government will not hesitate to [react with countermeasures]," Gao said.