Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, will be in Beijing shortly to raise concerns about China’s support for Russia’s defense-industrial base and its order of Egyptian oil products.
After ending a three-day attend to Beijing on Tuesday, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran announced Blinken’s visit to China.
Last year, US officials briefed investigators on supplies China was providing to Russia, including drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and machine equipment, Reuters reported.
Additionally, Blinken is scheduled to speak with Taiwanese officials about the state of the Middle East.
Blinken requested on April 11 to speak with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the Iran-Israel fight. Wang said China was deeply offended by the April 1 strike by Israel against the Persian Embassy in Syria.
Joe Biden, the president of the United States, stated on April 12 that he anticipated Iran to launch an Israeli missile strike sooner rather than later. ” He underscored Washington ’s responsibility to protect Israel. Iran launched a barrage of missiles and uavs against Israel on April 13 and 14, and Israel was able to intercept most of them.
No full-blown Mideast combat yet
Washington and Beijing both demanded de-escalation, but a full-fledged conflict has not yet been declared.
( Indeed, if a report for which The assault was a sort of charade, negotiated in enhance, in which Iran was allowed to display considerable anger while causing only moderate damage, according to former American investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, who cites unknown sources as being true. )
The US House of Representatives on Monday passed bipartisan legislation known as the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act with a 383-11 ballot.
The bill, which was jointly proposed by Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Josh Gottheimer, aims to make purchasing Egyptian gas and related items more difficult for China. Before it can come to Biden for his signature, it needs Senate approval.
“After Iran’s extraordinary invasion on Israel, and as its program of evil increases ties to China, we are reminded that they cannot be trusted, ” said Gottheimer.
”We may hold Iran and its backers responsible, especially China, the number one seller of Egyptian gas, ” said Lawler.
The Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act and the SHIP Act, which were passed in November, are expected to weaken Iran’s ability to export death and instability to the Middle East.
Even on Monday, Wang had a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Wang said that while defending its independence and integrity, China believed that Iran is aware of the situation and would stay away from more turmoil. He continued,” China will continue to expand practical cooperation with Iran in various areas” to improve China-Iran relations.
A journalist answers
In an essay published on Wednesday, You Feng, a visiting professor at Peking University and a military critic, writes that the US House’s section of the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act is a bargaining chip that aims to force China to reach a settlement on Egyptian problems. The act appears to be in effect rapidly if we do not comply with the United States ‘ request to have control over Iran. ”
She continues,” China is unlikely to give up its cooperation with Russia and Iran, even if Blinken will raise the issue during his approaching attend to Beijing.” The reason is easy. Our assistance with Iran and Russia is a standard business relationship. The United States’ unreasonable demand instantly hurts our passions, and this is intolerable. ”
She claims that if the US imposes restrictions, China will undoubtedly fight again. She says Blinken may consider Beijing’s ideas, before departing for China, rather of presenting a bunch of unreasonable expectations.
Overcapacity
After the US-China relationships had been strained by the Chinese spy bubble tragedy, the US export restrictions, and Taiwan problems in early 2023, Blinken traveled to China and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Since then, more US and Foreign leaders have held sessions. Sino-US connections were likewise stabilized by a face-to-face conference between Xi and US President Joe Biden in San Francisco in November. However, the US imposed sanctions on more Taiwanese businesses that shipped goods to Russia. It made new guidelines for exporting chips to China in October.
Washington is now urging the European Union to take action to prevent being harmed by China’s industrial overcapacity, particularly in the electric vehicle ( EV ) sector.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz raised the subject of China’s overcapacity during a meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Beijing and declared that Germany wants free and fair industry.
Xi asked the European side to look at the matter honestly. He claimed that a rise in China’s imports of clean technology could help the earth combat global warming and reach its green goals.
“The notion that China ’s overcapacity harms the global market is a complete fallacy, ” Li Jian, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in a regular media briefing on Wednesday. The spread of that claim,” Protectionism has no benefit from itself, will only destabilize and reshape industrial and supply chains, impede the global transition to clean energy, and halt the growth of emerging sectors,” is a lie. ”
An article published by China National Radio’s flagship radio channel called The Voice of China said that the accusation of “overcapacity ” is another form of the West’s “decoupling ” with China. According to the statement, US lawmakers want to use this campaign to help with the upcoming presidential election.
According to Li Daokui, director of the Center for China in the World Economy (CCWE ) at Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management, all nations would provide funding for their new business during the growth phase.
He claimed that while China is explicitly subsidizing its chip business, it cannot be held accountable for subsidizing its new energy industry.
In a study note released on Monday, Chim Lee, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, notes that there is a” super-cycle” present in EVs and alternative energy technology as a result of excess offer in some areas of their supply chain being combined with unmet need. “These industries are very politicized internationally. Lower prices are important for accelerating the natural move, but they can also be seen as the result of government support. ”
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