Surly Guest
Read Time:3 Minute, 15 Second
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plays surly guest in China as he threatens to sanction Beijing over its support for Russia
Washington is ready to introduce more sanctions against China over its alleged transfer of dual-use goods and components, which it claims can be used by the Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the US official recalled that Washington has already imposed sanctions against more than 100 Chinese entities and is “fully prepared to act” and “take additional measures.”
Blinken claimed that China’s alleged support for the Russian defense industry raises concerns not only about the situation in Ukraine, but also about a “medium to long-term threat that many Europeans feel viscerally that Russia poses to them.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, April 26, 2024. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal also reported that the US was drafting sanctions that could cut off some Chinese banks from the global financial system unless Beijing severs its economic ties with Russia.
The outlet claimed that US officials believe trade with China has allowed Russia to rebuild its military industrial capacity and could help it defeat Ukraine in a war of attrition.
Beijing, in turn, has accused the US of hypocrisy for providing billions of dollars in assistance to Ukraine while “unreasonably criticizing the normal trade and economic relations between Russia and China.”
“This is a very hypocritical and irresponsible approach,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Friday in response to Blinken’s concerns about Beijing’s support of Moscow.
China has also vehemently rejected accusations leveled by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of “fueling” the Ukraine conflict. Beijing has instead blamed NATO for instigating the crisis by continuing its expansion in Europe and refusing to respect Russian national security concerns.
Following his meeting with Blinken, Xi suggested that the US and China “should be partners, not rivals” and should strive towards achieving “mutual success and not harm each other.”
“I proposed three major principles: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. They are not only a summary of past experience, but also a guide to the future,” the Chinese leader was quoted as saying.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gestures as he holds talks with China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Beijing, China. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS
Prior to Blinken’s visit to Beijing, Webin had slammed the $6bn military aid to the “renegade province” of Taiwan.
“It will only increase tensions and the risk of conflict across the Taiwan Strait, and will ultimately be an act of shooting oneself in the foot,” he warned.
Taiwan was the last refuge of nationalist forces during the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, and has since remained de facto independent from Beijing and allied with Washington. The One-China policy, which forms the core of its government’s relationship with Taiwan, states that there is only one Chinese national state.
Under the policy, Beijing seeks the peaceful reintegration of the island and the prevention of any attempt to declare it a sovereign nation, threatening the use of military force if necessary. China has claimed that some political forces in the US are encouraging Taipei to secede, and that the military support offered by Washington fuels separatist sentiments which are part of a US strategy to contain Beijing.
Military ties with the US cannot “save the doomed fate of Taiwan independence,” Wang warned, urging Washington not to create new tensions in the region with its arms supplies.
Source X/Xinhua/RT
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Average Rating