During the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, September 27th, US Secretary of State Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Blinken expressed strong concerns about China’s support for Russian military actions and coercion in the South China Sea, emphasizing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Blinken commended the diplomatic efforts between the US and China while also warning that the US will not back down on its concerns about China’s support for Russian military exports. He made it clear that the US may impose additional sanctions.
The US State Department’s statement emphasized Secretary Blinken’s commitment to responsibly managing the competition with China through diplomatic means, engaging in candid discussions on areas of disagreement, and making progress in crucial cooperative areas for the American people and the world.
Secretary Blinken stressed the US’s ongoing concerns about China’s support for the Russian defense industry and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. He explicitly stated that China needs to address the threat posed by Russia to transatlantic security. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and expressed concern about China’s dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea.
In a subsequent press conference, Blinken mentioned that about 70% of machine tools and 90% of microelectronic products imported by Russia come from China and Hong Kong, illustrating China’s material support to sustain Russia’s production of missiles, rockets, armored vehicles, and ammunition for warfare.
He stated, “So when Beijing says it wants peace, it wants to see the conflict end, but on the other hand allows its (Chinese and Hong Kong) companies to act and effectively help Putin continue aggression (in Ukraine), it makes no sense.”
“Our goal is not to decouple Russia from China. Their relationship is their own business,” he added.
“But as long as this (China-Russia) relationship involves providing resources necessary for sustaining warfare to Russia, that’s a problem for us and for many other countries, especially European countries,” Blinken added.
On Friday, both Beijing and Brazil continued to promote their so-called peace plan for Ukraine to garner support from developing countries. However, Ukrainian President Zelensky had already rejected the proposal on Wednesday, stating that it served Russian interests.
Moreover, reports from Reuters indicated that Russia has established weapon programs in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for combat, causing deep concern from the White House and the European Union.
Blinken stressed that a key to achieving lasting peace in Ukraine is to “compel Iran, North Korea, and China (the Chinese Communist Party) to stop providing weapons, artillery, machinery, and other support to Russia.”
Earlier, Wang Yi declined to comment on the Reuters report during an interview at the UN Headquarters.
The US and China have significant differences on a range of issues including the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, US export controls on advanced chip technology, trade tariffs, Taiwan, and human rights.
Beijing has repeatedly complained about the US relations with Taiwan and arms sales to Taiwan. Beijing has also urged the US to lift tariffs on Chinese goods and expressed dissatisfaction with the US banning Chinese- made software and hardware for national security reasons.
Regarding the meeting with Wang Yi, the US State Department’s statement further mentioned that Blinken reiterated that resolving cases of American citizens detained or prevented from leaving China remains a priority. He also raised human rights issues concerning Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
“The Secretary discussed concerns related to technology; US policy continues to focus on preventing advanced American technology from being used to undermine our national security,” the statement said.
Recently, a Chinese-American pastor who had been imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party for many years was released and returned to the US, but there are still several Americans detained in Chinese prisons.
The State Department stated that the two sides also discussed US-China cooperation on drug prohibition to prevent synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals from flowing into the United States, military communication, and content relating to AI risks and security.
“They agreed to stay in touch, including discussing regional and global issues,” the statement added.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell recently stated that the challenges posed by China to the US surpass those of the Cold War era.
Last year, a Chinese spy balloon flew over the US and was shot down, leading to a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations. Military communication between the two sides was severed by China, only recently being partially restored.
(Reference: Reuters)