A top Chinese diplomat told his European counterpart that his country needs Russia to keep fighting in Ukraine to distract the United States from focusing on Beijing, Hong Kong's paper of record reported last week.

China has privately warned the European Union that it cannot allow Russia to lose the Ukraine war, according to an official briefed on the meeting. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made this clear during a four-hour talk with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Brussels.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the European Union’s top diplomat that Beijing can’t accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine as this could allow the United States to turn its full attention to China,