by Greg Norman
   China on Friday is accusing the United States of being "the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remark during a daily briefing, adding that "the U.S. has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion in the last two decades after 1999."

    “The number of NATO members increased from 16 to 30, and they have moved eastward more than 600 miles to somewhere near the Russian border, pushing Russia to the wall step by step,” Zhao also said.

    While China says it is not taking sides in the conflict, it has declared a “no limits” partnership with Moscow, has refused to condemn the invasion, opposes sanctions on Russia and routinely amplifies Russian disinformation about the conflict, including not referring to it as an invasion or a war in keeping with Russian practice.