The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador amid accusations of Beijing's support for Russia in the war with Ukraine.
The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that it summoned Ambassador Ma Shengkun in order to "present evidence of the participation of the Chinese in the war with Ukraine and Chinese companies in the production of Russian military products."
Ma held a meeting with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis.
Perebyinis said the alleged participation of Chinese citizens in the conflict on Russia's side as well as the alleged involvement of its companies in military production in Russia are "of serious concern and contradict the spirit of partnership between Ukraine and the People's Republic of China (PRC)."
"Evidence of such facts was transferred by Ukrainian special services to the Chinese side," the statement said, noting that Perebyinis called on Beijing to "take measures to stop supporting Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, the absence of which Beijing has repeatedly stated."
"Perebyinis assured that our state values the strategic partnership with the PRC and expects that China will refrain from taking steps that could harm bilateral relations in the future," it added.
China has reaffirmed its support for peace efforts in Ukraine and previously said relevant parties should avoid "irresponsible remarks" in an apparent jab at Kiev's allegations.
'Stolen' drone
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a briefing that Kiev will provide Beijing with information on Chinese nationals working at a drone factory in Russia, suggesting Moscow may have "stolen" Chinese drone technology without official consent.
"It may be so…that Russia stole — agreed with these citizens, outside of agreements with the Chinese leadership — these technologies," he said.
Zelenskyy claimed earlier this month that at least 155 Chinese citizens are fighting for the Russian military in Ukraine and that two of them were arrested in the country's eastern Donetsk region.
Beijing called the accusation "irresponsible."
Last week, China rejected providing lethal weapons to any party to the Russia-Ukraine war, saying it "strictly controlled the export of dual-use articles."
