China says US creating ‘fear and panic’ over Ukraine

BEIJING (AP) — China is accusing the U.S. of creating “fear and panic” over the crisis in Ukraine, and calling for talks to reduce tensions. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says China is opposed to sanctions on Russia. She says the U.S. is fueling tensions by providing defensive weapons to Ukraine, without mentioning Russia’s deployment of as many as 190,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in Beijing earlier this month at which the two sides backed each other’s positions on opposing a NATO expansion in former Soviet republics and buttressing China’s claim to Taiwan.