Early last month, Ukraine captured two Chinese soldiers fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine. In a letter to United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio this Wednesday, lawmakers said that Moscow could only hire Chinese mercenaries with “tacit approval” from Beijing, and that China is “not a neutral party” in this war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in April that Kiev had information suggesting that the two soldiers they captured were not the only Chinese soldiers in Russian units, and that at least 155 Chinese were fighting for Russia. U.S. officials confirmed the intelligence to Reuters, but said that the men were mercenaries and did not appear to have direct links to the Chinese government.
Following Zelenskyy’s statement, China has condemned “irresponsible” rhetoric about its citizens fighting in Russia’s war. Beijing has sought to position itself as trying to mediate an end to the conflict, despite not criticizing Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The House Select Committee on China’s letter to Rubio reflects a growing desire among China hawks in Congress to see U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pressure China regarding its alliance with Russia. They asked the U.S. State Department to inform Congress whether the U.S. would confront Beijing regarding this matter.
China and Russia have maintained a strategic partnership since they established diplomatic relations in 1991. Republican Chairman of the select committee John Moolenaar and Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said the presence of Chinese soldiers in Ukraine was indicative of a deepening relationship between the two countries.