China on Ukraine and notorious markets list

(18 Feb 2022) China called on countries not to put up a "smoke screen of war" on Friday following US President Joe Biden's warning that Russia could invade Ukraine within days.
Concerns escalated in the West over what exactly Russia is doing with its 150,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, which included an estimated 60% of Russia's overall ground forces.
The Kremlin insists it has no plans to invade, but it has long considered Ukraine part of its sphere of influence and NATO's eastward expansion an existential threat.
The U.S. government issued some of its starkest, most detailed warnings yet, including a "so-called terrorist bombing" and a staged drone strike, about what could happen next.
In response to the warnings, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said "no one should put up a smoke screen of war and use it as a bargaining chip."
Dodging criticisms on Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine, China has repeatedly criticized the U.S.' speculation of a threat of war as a "disinformation campaign."
Wang also urged the U.S. to avoid "politicizing" economic issues after Washington added sites operated by China's technology giants Alibaba and Tencent to its "Notorious Markets List" for alleged involvement in counterfeiting and piracy.
The U.S. included Tencent-owned WeChat and Alibaba's e-commerce site AliExpress in the list for the first time, said the U.S. Trade Representative Office in a statement.
Chinese companies Baidu Wangpan, DHGate, Pinduoduo and Taobao have long been included in the list, which imposes little penalties other than a brief suspension.

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