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,

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is said to have made the comments during a marathon four-hour debate on a wide range of geopolitical and commercial grievances with the EU’s Kaja Kallas.

Beijing cannot afford to see Russia lose the Ukraine war, because it needs America focused on Moscow and Kyiv — and away from the Pacific, China’s top diplomat told his EU counterpart, according to a new report.