This is the first face-to-face meeting between the countries’ military commanders since 2022 and follows a video conference call between the Secretary and the Admiral on April 16. According to a MOFCOM spokesperson, the primary aim of questrade fx the export controls is to enhance national security by ensuring that advanced technology does not fall into the hands of adversaries or entities that could use it against China’s interests. The measures also align with China’s international obligations to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to combat terrorism. By controlling the export of sophisticated drone technology, China aims to comply with international non-proliferation agreements and restrict the use of such technology for harmful purposes. The third category of countries where China is arguably exerting its greatest amount of effort is countries in the developing world. I hesitate to reduce the enormity of the developing world to a phrase such as the Global South or the global majority.
But there is also speculation from many quarters, including in China, that the Trump administration’s broader aim is to improve relations with Russia in order to counter Beijing. Such a “reverse Nixon” still reflects a view of international relations as rooted entirely in power politics, but instead of a concert of powers, it seeks to achieve a favorable balance of power against a potential adversary. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent interview indicates no illusion that the United States could outright split Moscow and Beijing, but he suggests that U.S.-Russian relations could be improved, in part, by highlighting to Moscow the downsides of being over-dependent on China. Many commentators have offered skepticism that such a goal is achievable, largely because Russia-China relations are far better now than they were in the late 1960s, when Kissinger and Nixon made their successful gambit. Both Beijing and Moscow have poured cold water on the idea of a potential split, emphasizing that their strategic partnership is unbreakable. The administration did seek to sustain the rules-based order (including arguing for reform of the system’s trade pillar), but it viewed a meaningful deal with China in service of this goal as not possible, placing it in the bottom left quadrant of Table 1.
- Blinken stressed on human rights and the ongoing military coup in Myanmar, while Yang called for Washington to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and respect China’s sovereignty.
- This paper captures the themes articulated by these subject matter experts (SMEs) from the PRC (henceforth referred to as PRC SMEs) in 67 articles published from January 2021 through July 2021 on US-PRC relations, particularly in the areas of foreign affairs and national security.
- They don’t know how to position themselves in a world that’s not just transactional, but it’s possibly a triangulated form of a great power condominium and a world in which there are spheres of influence.
- And it also creates a situation in which Russia and China do not have to try very hard to make a case that the U.S. has a hegemonic attitude in its relations with other countries.
- The list covers a wide range of products, including industrial chemicals and machinery, auto parts, textiles, consumer electronics, and foodstuffs.
Why Are We Surprised by the Trump-Putin Alliance?
- The new order expands on an earlier Trump-era blacklist and hits 59 Chinese firms, including the communications giant Huawei.
- Both sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and communications on important issues “at all levels in the economic field”, which was a major outcome of the meeting between President Biden and President Xi in Bali in November 2022.
- The report strongly suggests the U.S. will continue to implement policies to increase its competitiveness with China and use its influence on the international stage to urge other countries to do the same.
- According to the BIS’ press release, the companies were added to the Entity List because they are “contributing to Russia’s military and/or defense industrial base, supporting PRC military modernization, and facilitating or engaging in human rights abuses in Burma and in the People’s Republic of China”.
But in the past year, Russia has regained the battlefield initiative and retaken territory along the eastern front. A large share of the money in the aid bills has been spent in the United States, paying for American factories and workers to produce the various weapons that are either shipped to Ukraine or that replenish the U.S. weapons stocks the Pentagon has drawn on during the war. One analysis by the American Enterprise Institute found that Ukraine aid is funding defense manufacturing in more than seventy U.S. cities. Ten charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders. I’d like to express my gratitude to all of our speakers for joining us today for such an insightful and timely discussion. They don’t know how to position themselves in a world that’s not just transactional, but it’s possibly a triangulated form of a great power condominium and a world in which there are spheres of influence.
Key figures
Meanwhile, the readout from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the talks “candid, substantive and productive”. At the time, the Biden Administration suggested that the US may lift some tariffs on Chinese goods to fight inflation. The fact that it has now instead chosen to increase tariffs reflects how the trade relationship between China and the US has evolved in the last two years despite improvements in diplomatic dialogue, as well as the increasingly elevated position of renewables and high-end technologies as a consideration in national security. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs readout noted that the meeting occurred at Blinken’s request and that both sides agreed to maintain communication and further implement the understandings reached by Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at the San Francisco meeting in November 2023. Wang Yi pointed out that while communication between the two governments has increased, the US has continued its containment and suppression of China, leading to rising risks and challenges in the bilateral relationship.
Import and export between China and the U.S.
The US House of Representatives passed the America Competes Act, an extensive piece of legislation that aims to strengthen the US’s competitive edge over China. Among other issues, the bill outlines provisions for the US to strengthen ties with Taiwan, further implement sanctions on officials accused of committing atrocities in Xinjiang province, and increase scrutiny and review of Chinese companies that have “contributed to the repression of religious and ethnic minorities within the PRC”. The Chinese entities being flagged by the UVL overlap with those on the so-called Entity List and “military end-user” list, which include Hytera Communication Group (a supplier of professional mobile radio systems, also known as walkie-talkies) and the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, according to SCMP.
In a press briefing held at the close of the meetings, the secretary emphasized that the US aims to achieve “a healthy economic relationship that benefits both our countries over time” and that it does “not seek to decouple its economy from China’s”. Both sides agreed to maintain open lines of communication in a range of fields, including counter-narcotics, foreign policy, Asia-Pacific affairs, maritime affairs, artificial intelligence, and military-to-military dialogue. The US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with the Chinese Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun at the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore to discuss US-China defense relations and global security issues.
According to the readout posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) website, the two recalled the secret visit that Kissinger made to China 52 years ago – which paved the way for the historic meeting between Chairman Mao Zedong and President Richard Nixon – and the subsequent development of US-China ties. Meanwhile, according to the readout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Han stated that “healthy and stable Sino-US relations are beneficial to both countries and the world” and that “China’s development is an opportunity rather than a challenge to the United States, and a gain rather than a risk”. Blinken reportedly stated that the US “hopes that China Das trader will succeed and continue to promote world economic growth”. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce announced that it has added 49 entities to the Entity List “for providing support to Russia’s military and/or defense industrial base”, of which 42 are Chinese. He also stated that the city “will continue to create a market-oriented, legal and international first-class business environment”. According to the announcement from the US Department of State, Blinken and Wang will discuss “a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues as part of ongoing efforts to responsibly manage the US-China relationship and to maintain open channels of communication”.
Key insights
Added pressure from both US and Chinese regulators on foreign investment in Chinese companies is likely to keep global investors wary in 2022. “I believe this tension between China and the US will continue in 2022, including in the areas of human rights, geopolitics and security,” said Wu Qiang, an independent political commentator based in Beijing. Second, the statements and releases made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs over recent weeks reflect a change in the terms and language of engagement. Significantly greater emphasis is placed upon pinpointing areas ripe for further negotiation and compromise.
US-China Relations in the Biden Era: A Timeline
The move also comes after the US has stepped up rhetoric on what it says are unfair trade practices by China, threatening to increase tariffs targeting China’s steel, aluminum, and solar industries. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced temporary anti-dumping measures on propionic acid (PA) imports from the US, effective April 20, 2024. US companies importing PA will be required to provide tariff deposits at a rate of 43.5 percent to China Customs.
The first set of countries, which is the one that we’ve been discussing mostly in this conversation, is with countries with which the United States has either competitive or adversarial relations. So in category one, China is trying to strengthen its relationships with Russia, with Iran, with North Korea. And I think that it’s notable that on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that took place last month, both the Ukrainian Foreign Minister and the head of President Zelenskyy’s office met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and they spoke quite favorably about their interaction.
Meanwhile, Washington DC is likely to view the situation less favorably, for strategic reasons. The meeting was brokered by US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi, who reached an agreement after six hours’ meeting in Zurich. This came after Biden and Xi spoke by phone on September 9, 2021, only their second since Biden took office, seven months later after their first call. Meanwhile, a readout of a media Q&A on Yellen’s visit published by China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) echoed some of the sentiments of Yellen’s analisis tecnico speech, stating that “a healthy and stable Sino-US relationship is not only beneficial to the two countries but also conducive to world peace and development”. It also stated that the meetings with Yellen were “frank, pragmatic, in-depth and constructive”.
During the meeting, at which the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was also present, President Xi called for increased cooperation between China and the US, stating that “the economies of China and the United States are deeply integrated, and we can benefit from each other’s development”, according to the official state media Xinhua News. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US President Joe Biden and other high-level US officials during his trip to Washington DC, a preparatory visit ahead of the potential meeting between Biden and President Xi Jinping at the APEC Conference in San Francisco in November. The US and China have agreed to ramp up cooperation on climate action, following meetings last week between climate envoys Xie Zhenhua and John Kerry in California. The two sides also discussed other global security issues, including the Russia-Ukraine War and the “provocations from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan have met in Bangkok, Thailand for bilateral talks.
A statement from a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the airship was Chinese but that it is “a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes”. The statement also said that China “regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace”. The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council has announced it will extend the tariff exemption on a batch of goods that were due to expire on February 16. The tariffs on 124 goods, which were imposed as a countermeasure to the US Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods, will continue to be suspended until September 15, 2023.