Wars, geopolitics key talking points as Blinken visits China
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will go through three days of talks with senior Chinese o§cials in Shanghai and Beijing this week with U.S.-China ties at a critical point over numerous global disputes.
The mere fact that Mr. Blinken is making the trip — shortly after a conversation between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader ◣i Jinping, a similar visit to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and a call between the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs — might be seen by some as encouraging, but ties between Washington and Beijing are tense and the rifts are growing wider.
The U.S. and China are on a series of collision courses over several
‘Clear and candid’
issues.
Mr. Blinken “will raise clearly and candidly our concerns” during the talks starting Wednesday, a senior State Department o§cial said.
The Biden administration has grown increasingly concerned in recent months about Chinese support for Russia’s defence industrial base, which U.S. o§cials say is allowing Moscow to overcome Western sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine and resupply its military. U.S. o§cials say this will be a primary topic of conversation during Mr. Blinken’s visit.
Mr. Blinken has also pushed for China to take a more active stance in pressing Iran not to escalate tensions in West Asia. He has spoken to his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, several times over the past six months and urged China to tell Iran to restrain the proxy groups it has supported in the region.
The disputed South China Sea, where the U.S. and others have become increasingly concerned by provocative Chinese actions, is also expected to be a key point during the talks.