Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up his three-day visit to China which included a high-level meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The meeting was part of Blinken's effort to address the complex and increasingly strained relationship between the United States and China, especially when it came to Washington and Beijing's stances regarding the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
During the discussions, both sides acknowledged the importance of avoiding further deterioration in relations.
Xi reiterated China's longstanding position that Beijing and Washington should strive to be partners rather than adversaries, emphasizing the potential for both countries to develop and prosper concurrently. He stressed the need for mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation as guiding principles for future interactions between the two nations.
In response, Blinken underscored the significance of China's economic growth while also expressing concerns about the fairness of trade practices and the potential impact on American workers and firms, focusing on China's "excessive production" as a particular area of concern.
China allegedly supplying Russia with components for armaments
In addition to economic issues, Blinken also raised concerns about China's alleged support of Russia's actions in Ukraine. He suggested that Russia's military efforts would be significantly hampered without China's backing, particularly in terms of critical "dual-use" technologies supplied by China to the Russian defense industry.
"I reiterate our serious concern about the PRC [People's Republic of China] providing components that are powering Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine," said Blinken at a press conference. "China is the top supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose, which is critical to making munitions and rocket propellants, and other dual-use items that Moscow is using to ramp up its defense industrial base."
In a firm warning, Blinken cautioned that the U.S. is prepared to take punitive measures against China if it continues to support Russia in this manner amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He specifically mentioned the possibility of imposing additional sanctions targeting the very dual-use goods and technologies China exports to Russia that Washington believes helps Moscow in its conflict with Kyiv. Some of these sensitive items include semiconductors, machine tools, chemical precursors, ball bearings and optical systems.
Following Blinken's remarks, China's Foreign Ministry issued a response, criticizing the secretary's comments as unfair and unwarranted. The ministry accused Blinken of unjustly targeting normal trade and economic relations between Russia and China, dismissing his allegations as hypocritical and irresponsible.
Beijing has maintained its "no limits" partnership with Moscow. But the communist government did reiterate that it has not provided weaponry to any party, adding that it is "not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis."
This exchange of statements highlights the deepening tensions and growing mistrust between the two global powers.
Watch this clip from "Reports on China" with host Andy Boreham as he discusses how Blinken's recent visit to China may have spread the perception that the U.S. is on the decline.
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