A few hours after the United States Senate approved assistance funds for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in China this Wednesday with a strong message against assistance to Russia in its war in Ukraine or in the development of its weapons. The second trip by the head of American diplomacy to the Asian giant in less than a year will also try to consolidate the current fragile understanding between the two powers and address increasingly harsh areas of friction between the two, from what Washington considers Chinese overproduction to tension with Taiwan and Beijing’s movements in the South China Sea.
The mere fact that Blinken is making the trip three weeks after US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone about key issues on their bilateral and other global agendas demonstrates that the dynamic between the two great powers of the 21st century has changed compared to last year and, although in fits and starts, things are moving forward.
However, although Beijing assures that it “maintains its commitment to communication and open dialogue” with Washington, the belligerent language used in recent days by the official Chinese media announces that it will not allow the red lines that the regime has marked to be crossed. “The relationship between China and the US has faced strong headwinds in recent years. “The blame lies with American politicians, whose perception that China is a strategic competitor and the ‘biggest geopolitical challenge’ is deeply flawed,” said a commentary by state news agency Xinhua published on Wednesday.
Blinken’s trip to Shanghai, where he has landed, and Beijing, planned for weeks, although only officially announced last weekend, comes as the perception grows in Western capitals that China is gradually increasing its assistance to Russian manufacturing. of war material, something that endangers not only Ukraine, but also the rest of Europe. It is a concern that the foreign ministers of the G-7, the group of most industrialized democracies, already expressed at their meeting in Capri (Italy) last week.
Then, the Secretary of State accused Beijing of being the “main contributor” of support for the Russian military production sector. “If China says on the one hand that it wants good relations with Europe and other countries, on the other it cannot feed what is the greatest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War,” Blinken said.
Washington and its allies view with concern the transfers, from companies based in China to Russia, of dual-use materials, civil and military, and components for the manufacture of weapons, from bulletproof vests to armored vehicles, which Moscow uses to intensify its production of defense equipment. According to the newspaper The Wall Street JournalPresident Joe Biden’s Administration is considering imposing sanctions that could punish Chinese banks that finance the export of this material to its neighboring country.
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“Through Chinese support, Russia has rebuilt its defense industrial base, which has an impact not only on the battlefield in Ukraine, but also represents a broader threat to European security,” he maintained on the eve of the trip. Blinken a senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We are going to express those concerns to China and we are going to express our intention that China stop this support, which is beginning to represent a threat to the security of Europe,” he added.
Microelectronics sales
Earlier this month, senior U.S. officials said China has boosted sales to Russia of microelectronics components, machine tools and other technology that Moscow uses to produce and use missiles, tanks, aircraft and other defense equipment. in his war in Ukraine. According to Washington’s calculations, in 2023, about 90% of Russia’s microelectronics components came from China, as did 70% of its machine tool imports in the final quarter of last year.
Companies from the two neighboring countries have also collaborated, according to the US assessment, in the joint production of drones on Russian territory. Chinese companies provide Moscow with optical components for its tanks and armored vehicles, and the nitrocellulose it needs for the production of propellant weapons.
“We are willing to take the steps we believe are necessary against companies that […] seriously undermine security in Ukraine and Europe,” declared the senior State Department official. “We have demonstrated our willingness to take them with respect to companies from various countries, not just China.”
Beijing maintains that “it has the right to trade” with its partner “on the basis of equality,” and blames Washington for fanning the flames by arming and financing Ukraine: “It is extremely hypocritical and irresponsible for the United States to pass a bill of aid for Ukraine while launching unfounded accusations against normal commercial and economic exchanges between China and Russia,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin attacked on Tuesday, in a routine press conference. “The Chinese position on Ukraine has been fair and objective. China is neither the creator of the crisis nor is it part of it,” Wang asserted.
On the eve of Blinken’s arrival, the Chinese Foreign Department published an extensive report setting out the Asian giant’s position and stating that “relations between China and the United States have begun to stabilize.” He points out, however, that “there are still important negative factors that affect the bilateral relationship. “The United States continues to advance its strategy of containment against China and adopts erroneous words and actions that interfere in China’s internal affairs, tarnish its image and undermine its interests.” The statement also lists the “five main objectives” that Beijing hopes to achieve from the meetings, namely “establishing correct perception, strengthening dialogue, managing disagreements effectively, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly assuming responsibilities as powers.” .
During his three-day visit to the world’s second largest economy, Blinken plans to meet with government representatives, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi. It is not clear whether he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with whom he did speak face to face during his visit in June last year.
With them, he will address “a range of bilateral, global and regional issues,” including the situation in the Middle East, according to the senior State Department official. It will also raise Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea, where the Asian giant claims sovereignty over almost all of the waters and maintains territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, among others.
The two countries will also address what the United States considers excessive Chinese production in the clean energy products sector, already raised during Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit two weeks ago.
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