Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt by David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Two months after warnings that Beijing was poised to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine, top U.S. officials claim they haven’t detected any overt Chinese economic and military support. This is a positive development in the tense U.S./China relations.

Reuters was informed by U.S. officials that while they are still concerned about China’s support of Russia over the long term, they have not seen any evidence that China has stopped providing economic and military support. It comes at an important time.

Joe Biden, President of the United States of America is planning a trip to Asia this month. His focus will be on how to handle the rise China. The administration is also soon going to issue its first national security strategy regarding the emerging China as a major power.

China, which has steered clear from supporting Russia’s war effort and avoided new deals between its oil refiners in China and Russia despite huge discounts, also avoided directly supporting the Russian war effort. China’s state-run Sinopec Group (NYSE 🙂 suspended discussions about a significant petrochemical and gas marketing venture in Russia.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations celebrated China’s refusal to vote against Russia’s invasion in Ukraine last month as a win, underscoring Washington’s forced balancing act with Russia.

China refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and it has criticised the Western sanctions against Moscow. However, China insists that they are not being deliberately circumvented.

China and Russia also saw an increase in their trade volumes in the first quarter. The two countries declared a partnership “without limits” in February.

Beijing’s Washington diplomatic mission published Monday a 30-page newsletter in which it accused the United States and China of “falsehoods” for discrediting China. This included through a leak that claimed Russia was seeking Chinese military aid. The U.S. Embassy noted that they have not seen any evidence suggesting China provided such support.

Biden hasn’t spoken about China aiding Russia since telling reporters in Brussels, March 24, that he had “made sure he understood” the implications of a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China faces a “significant reputational threat” as Russia’s ally. He also said that China has not shown significant support for Russia’s military activities at the moment.

Biden will visit Seoul and Tokyo in his first Asia trip as President. He won’t stop in China. In Tokyo, he will meet with Australian and Indian leaders as part of a “Quad” meeting.

China considers Russia to be a central part of its international policy strategy against the West. According to one U.S. official, Biden’s aides had concerns that Xi would support Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine during his disastrous campaign.

Although they are encouraged that it hasn’t happened yet, Washington and its allies will continue to closely track the amount of aid, the official added.

Bonnie Glaser of the United States’ German Marshall Fund, Asia Expert, stated that the U.S. has heeded its warnings and the European Union are paying the price.

It has been clear that China will be punished if it does this. The Chinese appear to have not yet done so. “It is possible that the Chinese had planned to give military assistance, but they changed their mind,” she stated.

Officials from the United States remain worried about China’s inability to condemn Russia for its actions in Ukraine. They also believe that China is continuing to discredit Russian propaganda over their intervention.

Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary to State, stated that Beijing has “repeatedly drawn false equivalents between Russia’s aggression war and Ukraine’s self defense actions.”

She said, “Let’s not be misled. China is already taking actions that don’t help this situation.”