United States of America (USA) Secretary of State Anthony Blinken paid an essential visit to Beijing on April 25-26, 2024. During the meetings, China warned that the US must choose between “cooperation or confrontation”.[1] Blinken called on Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
The United States says it may impose sanctions on Beijing over China’s ongoing transfer of technology products and defense industry to Russia. Blinken’s visit once again conveyed this message directly to Beijing. In addition, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen gave similar messages during her recent visit to China. During this trip, Yellen also said that Washington was examining the role of Chinese financial institutions in Russian trade.
Blinken’s visit comes at a time of softening bilateral relations. In fact, in November 2023, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in San Francisco to try to get relations back on track, including the re-launch of the defense dialogue. Afterwards, Biden and Xi agreed once again to improve bilateral relations in a phone call on April 2, 2024.[2]
While diplomatic contacts are moving in a positive direction, US sanctions on China’s technological practices remain in place. The US Congress’ approval of a bill to ban TikTok was the latest of these steps. It seems that Washington is trying to block Beijing’s development in high-tech industries through export controls. The fact that European countries are joining Washington’s steps points to a major risk for Beijing. While Europe is preparing to launch a trade war against China, with Washington’s warnings and guidance, Beijing is constantly warning Europe about the risks of such a move.
Faced with a number of challenges and pressures in its relations with both Europe and Russia, China rejects the accusations against itself, claiming that the United States is engaged in provocative and polarizing actions. In recent years, China has frequently criticized the US for acting with a “Cold War mentality”. Tensions in the Asia-Pacific have also escalated as Washington pursues a policy of polarization. Conflicts of interest between the great powers are deepening and the concept of zero-sum game is still relevant. However, unlike that, China continues to advocate a win-win approach. On the other hand, the US is trying to push China to the opposite pole, in line with the polarization trend all over the world. In short, the US is adopting a more confrontational approach to contain a rising China. China, on the other hand, does not seek to compete directly with the United States. On the contrary, it aims to sustain its economic growth by keeping bilateral relations positive.
Increasing US pressure on China in areas such as Russia, Europe, the South China Sea and Taiwan has weakened the basis for bilateral cooperation. For example, the visit of delegation members of the US House of Representatives to Taiwan on February 22,[3] 2024 was undoubtedly seen as a new challenge to China’s sovereignty. The visit to Taiwan in August 2021 by Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, prompted China to conduct major military exercises around the island.
It is noteworthy that despite the continuation of positive dialogue with China, the US has at the same time tightened its relations with Taiwan. In reality, US President Joe Biden recently stated that “they are not seeking hostility with China and do not want to encircle it”.[4] Contrary to this narrative, the growing US defense ties with Taiwan, as well as with Japan, the Philippines and South Korea, are part of a strategy to contain China. On the other hand, Beijing emphasizes the importance of diplomacy and dialogue in relations with Washington. In general, Beijing is also against polarization and alliances. That is why China attaches importance to keeping the channels of dialogue open with the United States. But the danger here is that the US could take advantage of this to push China’s red lines.
As an outcome, issues such as China’s relations with Russia, the Taiwan issue, and recent tensions and trade issues in the South China Sea have hampered Beijing’s ties with Washington. According to experts, Washington needs to take much more concrete and sincere steps to address Beijing’s concerns. Beijing is making efforts to put bilateral ties on a solid and stable foundation. Tensions in US-China relations have increased rapidly after the trade wars that have been going on for the last two decades and turned into a serious crisis in 2018. In February 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing was postponed after a Chinese balloon entered US airspace. Blinken’s visit to Beijing was delayed by 4 months to June 2023. Overall, in 2023, Washington and Beijing sought to mitigate bilateral rivalry. Blinken’s last visit to Beijing in April 2024 was an important step to reduce the risk of a possible military confrontation between the two sides.
[1] “China warns Antony Blinken US must choose between ‘co-operation or confrontation’”, FT, https://www.ft.com/content/ef9d2f6f-3ef6-4249-af0c-649583e0ee43, (Date of Access: 22.02.2024).
[2] “Xi, Biden agree to advance cooperation”, China Daily, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202404/03/WS660c4151a31082fc043c0148.html, (Date of Access: 03.04.2024).
[3] “US-Taiwan: Why are so many Congressmen heading for Taipei?”, BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68346855, (Date of Access: 22.02.2024).
[4] “Biden Insists He’s Not Trying To ‘Contain’ China As He Courts Beijing’s Rivals”, NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-insists-s-not-trying-contain-china-courts-beijings-rivals-rcna104273, (Date of Access: 22.02.2024).
