[The Epoch Times, March 18, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Lin Yan comprehensive report) Reuters reported on Thursday (March 17) that the Biden administration conducted a well-planned bet, through public and private issued a series of warnings to Beijing.
US National Security Advisor Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, held a face-to-face meeting in Rome, Italy on the 14th for seven hours.
According to the report, at the Rome talks on the 14th, under pressure from the U.S. side on and off the field, Chinese officials showed a combative and aggressive response, and the talks between the two sides did not go well.
The U.S. has put pressure on the CCP on and off the field to be more aggressive
Reuters reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the talks, that Beijing had behaved aggressively during the talks. One person briefed on the meeting described the response from Chinese officials as “tough” and “aggressive.” Another said the talks did not go well.
Judging from the White House announcement, the U.S. discussion focused on the Russian-Ukrainian war. There is growing concern in the West that instead of condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Beijing may help Moscow evade Western sanctions.
U.S. officials revealed that Sullivan described to Yang Jiechi that “the solidarity of the United States and its allies and partners … makes Russia pay for its actions.”
Sullivan publicly warned before the talks that Beijing “absolutely” faces consequences if China helps Moscow evade sweeping sanctions.
Hours before the meeting, the Financial Times and The New York Times, among others, quoted U.S. officials as saying Russia had asked Beijing for military equipment and economic aid.
During the talks, the Financial Times again quoted officials familiar with U.S. diplomatic cables as saying that the U.S. had told allies that Beijing had signaled its willingness to provide Russia with military assistance to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both China and Russia have denied Moscow’s request for military assistance from Beijing.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Biden administration sources, as well as European and American diplomats, said the West had privately warned Beijing about its support for Russia in the weeks before the Rome talks.
Beijing quietly lowers the door and tries to play multiple balances
Beijing has found itself increasingly isolated from the world since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, shortly after Xi and Putin declared a friendship without boundaries in early February. China has avoided calling Russia’s actions an invasion, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week calling Russia its most important strategic partner.
However, when Wang Yi spoke with Spanish Foreign Minister Alvarez on the 14th, he made it clear that Beijing “doesn’t want the sanctions to affect China.”
According to Ukrainian media reports, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong met with the head of the local military administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, in Lviv on the 14th.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Fan Xianrong and consular staff relocated to the western city of Ukraine, near the border with Poland.
Fan Xianrong praised the strength of the Ukrainian people and pledged to respect the choice of its sovereign government, as well as to help rebuild the economy. The move was seen as a subtle move by Beijing to balance its pro-Russian stance and stance.
At a regular press conference in Beijing on the 17th, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said they supported Fan Xianrong’s statement, but at the same time, he reiterated Beijing’s support for Russia’s security concerns arising from the expansion of NATO in Europe.
At the same time, the CCP’s media propaganda seems to have begun to loosen, from the overwhelming pro-Russian and anti-American atmosphere before to the news that the pro-Russian and anti-American atmosphere dominates, while taking into account the news of Kyiv.
However, the United Nations International Court of Justice voted 13-2 on the 16th to demand that Russia immediately stop its military activities in Ukraine and withdraw its troops immediately, but Russian Vice President Kirill Gevorgian and Chinese judge Xue Hanqin voted for the only 2 negative votes. The Kremlin refused to implement the order on the 17th.
The next step for the United States and China to go to experts: Beijing has to choose sides
The White House said in a statement on Thursday that Biden will speak with Xi Jinping on Friday (18th) to discuss the competition between the United States and China, as well as issues of mutual concern such as Russia’s war with Ukraine.
On November 15, 2021, President Biden and President Xi Jinping held their first video conference.
After sending a tough diplomatic signal to Beijing, officials in the Biden administration are still debating what next steps should be taken to ensure China does not help Russia evade Western sanctions, or in Ukraine amid rising casualties, Reuters reported. supply weapons to Moscow.
U.S. administration officials say Washington is currently working through a number of unresolved issues, including what “red lines” Beijing needs to cross over Ukraine to trigger a U.S. response and what exactly the U.S. response will be.
The Biden administration is watching what Beijing does before deciding what to do. “We will be watching closely,” White House spokesman Psaki said on Monday. They will investigate what military, economic or other support Beijing has provided to Russia, a senior U.S. official said.
Scott Kennedy, director of the China Business and Political Economy Research Program at the Center for International Strategic Studies, an American think tank, said: “China can either choose to stand with Russia and reinforce the impression that China (the CCP) has joined the ‘axis of authoritarianism’; It’s choosing to keep a clear distance from Russia and to show that it really wants to maintain a fundamental relationship with the rest of the world.”
“If China rejects this opportunity, I don’t think there will be another chance for talks and shelving differences. The ball is entirely on Beijing’s side,” he said.
China’s relations with the West may get worse
Reuters also quoted several European diplomatic sources as saying there had been no progress in discussions between the United States and its military allies on any possible coordinated sanctions against China.
Analysts say any move to sanction China over Ukraine could have serious consequences, not only for China, but also for the U.S. and the world economy.
Because the United States and NATO countries trade with China much more than Russia and China, in addition, China’s economy is also highly dependent on the international market and capital.
Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, a U.S. political risk consultancy, wrote on his website that he expects Beijing to continue to sit back and watch — keeping regular trade with Russia if Western sanctions allow it relations, but at the same time refused to lend a hand directly to Putin in order to avoid a decisive break with the West.
He worries that if Beijing does not really distance itself from Russia, the risk of a chain decoupling will continue to rise as Russia becomes more integrated with China economically, financially and technologically.
“The relationship between China and the West is likely to get worse for the foreseeable future,” Bremer said.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#