Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas during a four-hour meeting in Brussels on 3 July that Beijing “cannot afford” a Russian defeat in Ukraine because such an outcome would allow the United States to shift its full strategic focus to China, according to officials cited by the South China Morning Post and confirmed separately by an EU source to CNN. The blunt assessment, delivered behind closed doors, surprised several European officials and diverges sharply from Beijing’s public stance of neutrality in the conflict. Wang also denied that China is providing significant financial or military assistance to Moscow, saying that if Beijing were doing so "the war would have ended long ago." Asked about the remarks at a 4 July press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated that “China is not a party to the Ukraine issue” and said Beijing continues to advocate negotiations, a cease-fire and a political settlement. The disclosure has added to strains in EU-China relations already tested by disputes over trade and Beijing’s closer ties with Moscow. It also underscores China’s geopolitical calculus that a protracted war in Ukraine could constrain Washington’s ability to concentrate on competition in the Indo-Pacific.