Blinken warns China over dual-use sales to Russia, but also praises US-China progress
-
Ann Scott Tyson Staff writer
| Beijing
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged China on Friday to curb the flow to Russia of Chinese dual-use equipment critical to Moscow鈥檚 war efforts in Ukraine 鈥� or face fresh sanctions.
鈥淩ussia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China鈥檚 support,鈥� Mr. Blinken said at a press conference following his meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and other top officials. China is Russia鈥檚 top supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, and nitrocellulose 鈥� a highly flammable compound used to make munitions 鈥� and Mr. Blinken noted that the U.S. has already sanctioned more than 100 Chinese enterprises. 鈥淚 made it clear that if China does not address this problem, we will,鈥� he said.
Mr. Blinken鈥檚 three days of high-level meetings in Beijing and Shanghai underscored how the United States and China are rolling up their sleeves and digging into some major, divisive issues. The last time Mr. Blinken visited China鈥檚 capital 鈥� 10 months ago 鈥� Beijing and Washington were barely on speaking terms, with military-to-military dialogues and other vital contacts suspended.
Why We Wrote This
The United States and China are working hard to repair one of the world鈥檚 most consequential relationships. The U.S. secretary of state鈥檚 latest visit to Beijing highlighted progress made since last year, and moved the needle forward on key issues.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Mr. Xi stabilized the relationship and reopened more than 20 key lines of communication when they met outside San Francisco last November 鈥� unleashing new progress but also tough talks over pressing conflicts.
The two sides have since made important headway in key areas ranging from counternarcotics to multilevel military communications and talks on artificial intelligence, Mr. Blinken said. He highlighted China鈥檚 recent actions to curtail the flow to the U.S. of precursor chemicals used to make the drug fentanyl, which has become a leading cause of death among American adults. China has cracked down on some companies, and is providing information to help international law enforcement track and intercept the drugs, he said.
Mr. Blinken announced that Beijing and Washington reached an agreement Friday to hold their first talks on managing the risks of advanced AI, and military talks have resumed.
Yet China and the U.S. have vast differences, starting at the top with how each side characterizes the relationship. Washington believes the two countries can compete and cooperate at the same time. For Beijing, Washington can be either a partner or a rival 鈥� but not both.
China鈥檚 development rights
China鈥檚 top priority for Mr. Blinken鈥檚 visit was to 鈥渆stablish a correct understanding鈥� of their current relationship status, according to a senior Foreign Ministry official quoted in a statement.
Mr. Xi emphasized this when he met with Mr. Blinken on Friday at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
鈥淐hina and the United States should be partners rather than rivals,鈥� Mr. Xi said. 鈥淭he two countries should help each other succeed ... rather than engage in vicious competition.鈥�
Trade, technology, and economic issues between Beijing and Washington are increasingly major challenges for both sides but especially for Mr. Xi, as China鈥檚 economic growth has slowed and the U.S. has stepped up sanctions. Beijing charges that the U.S. seeks to contain China and curb its rise.
When raising this issue on Friday, Mr. Xi struck a conciliatory tone. 鈥淐hina is happy to see the confident, open, prosperous, and thriving United States. We hope the U.S. can also look at China鈥檚 development in a positive light,鈥� he told Mr. Blinken. 鈥淭his is a fundamental issue that must be addressed, just like the first button of a shirt that must be put right in order for the China-U.S. relationship to truly stabilize, improve, and move forward.鈥�
China鈥檚 foreign minister, Mr. Wang, also highlighted Beijing鈥檚 concern about U.S. economic pressure, telling Mr. Blinken that 鈥淐hina鈥檚 legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed.鈥�
Protecting the market
For his part, Mr. Blinken stressed that the U.S. does not seek to hold back China鈥檚 development or decouple the two economies, telling reporters at the U.S. Embassy press conference that this would be 鈥渄isastrous.鈥�
Yet he said China鈥檚 government subsidies for leading 21st-century industries are distorting the market. He joined a chorus of senior U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in charging that China is using unfair trade practices and subsidizing surplus production in key industries such as solar panels, electric vehicles, and batteries.
鈥淐hina alone is producing more than 100% of global demand for these products 鈥� flooding markets, undermining competition, putting at risk livelihoods and businesses around the world,鈥� Mr. Blinken said.
Overall, he added, 鈥淐hina is responsible for one-third of global production 鈥� but one-tenth of global demand. ... There鈥檚 a clear mismatch.鈥�
Beijing has rejected 鈥渢he so-called 鈥楥hina鈥檚 overcapacity theory,鈥欌�� calling it a 鈥渇alse narrative,鈥� a Chinese Foreign Ministry official was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua News Agency. 鈥淚t is naked economic coercion and bullying.鈥�
Given domestic political priorities in both countries 鈥� with Mr. Biden facing the November presidential election and Mr. Xi seeking to revive China鈥檚 sluggish economy 鈥� such frictions are unlikely to be resolved easily, experts say.
Nevertheless, these are also reasons Beijing and Washington both seek 鈥� at a minimum 鈥� to try to maintain stability in their relationship. 鈥淚f Biden is reelected ... [and] no major accidents occur, the current trend of stable and improving U.S.-China ties will probably continue,鈥� said Jia Qingguo, director of Peking University鈥檚 Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding, in an interview published by the blog Sinification.
