Blinken in China for strong warnings about the support it is giving to Russia in the war against Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in China, where he will issue a stark warning to Chinese leaders that China is supporting Russia’s efforts to increase arms production while the war in Ukraine continues.

The top U.S. diplomat landed in Shanghai, where he is expected to meet with local officials and business leaders and then travel to Beijing for meetings with senior Chinese officials. The trip – his second to the country in less than a year – is the latest in a series of high-level meetings that culminated in a high-level meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in California in November after a while of extraordinary tension.

Blinken’s talks are not expected to be easy, particularly on the issue of China’s support for Russia’s industrial base while the war in Ukraine continues.

The Biden administration is increasingly sounding the alarm over China’s support as Russia ramps up its weapons production efforts – support that the U.S. says has enabled Moscow to continue its war against Ukraine.

“We see China sharing machine tools, semiconductors and other dual-use goods that have helped Russia rebuild its defense industrial base, which has been so harshly destroyed by sanctions and export controls,” Blinken said at a press conference last week, CNN reports.

China has not directly assisted Russia militarily, but the industrial and logistical help it is providing is having a significant impact at a time when the Ukrainian military is suffering from a shortage of equipment and weapons.

As Russia begins to rebuild its defense capabilities, the US has been trying to rally allies to pressure Beijing – through diplomatic means or, failing that, punitive measures – to stop paying support, and Blinken is expected to deliver a strong message on the issue during his meeting visit.

A second senior State Department official said Russia is no longer at a disadvantage and “they are growing.” They have considerable assets, reconstructed. They pose a threat not only to Ukraine, but to the entire region.”

Blinken will argue that supporting Russia undermines not only Ukraine, but European security as a whole.

“China can’t have it both ways,” Blinken said. “You can’t say they want to have positive relations with Europe and at the same time foment the biggest threat to Europe since the end of the Cold War.”

Matthew Miller, State Department spokesman, said on Monday: “We believe China can do more, and we’ve always made clear that we’re willing and able to take action if necessary.”

Despite the threat of American action, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official signaled Tuesday that Beijing was unlikely to withdraw its support for Moscow, warning the US against “disrupting normal state-to-state relations” and calling on the US to lift sanctions. on Chinese companies, during a conference for state media.

“The Ukraine issue is not a matter between China and the United States, and the United States should not make it a matter between China and the United States,” the official was quoted as saying./TheGeopost/