Adedokun Waliyu 
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is “powering” Russia’s war against Ukraine and Moscow would “struggle” to sustain its attack without the Chinese support, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on April 26 before leaving China, ending his three-day trip.
The trip marked Mr. Blinken’s second trip to China in less than a year, and on both occasions, he held face-to-face talks with Xi. Before concluding his latest trip, the U.S. Secretary also met with the CCP’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, the public security minister, Wang Xiaohong, and Shanghai’s CCP chief, Chen Jining.
Mr. Blinken’s trip is part of the Biden administration’s continued efforts to engage with the CCP, with the goal of leveraging face-to-face communication to prevent unintended conflict.
Coincidently, the timing of the trip comes as Congress recently renewed attention to China’s ongoing campaigns to infiltrate different aspects of American society via political warfare.
Talks with the Chinese sides were “candid” and “constructive,” Mr. Blinken said at a press conference as he wrapped up his visit on Friday.
As one of the achievements of his three days of talks in Beijing, the United States and China will host the first dialogues on artificial intelligence “in the coming weeks,” Mr. Blinken said. “We’ll share our respective views on the risks and safety concerns around advanced AI and how best to manage them.”
China’s aid to Russia’s defense industry is at the top of Mr. Blinken’s agenda. Mr. Bliken said during the meetings with Chinese officials, he reiterated his “serious concern about the PRC providing components that are powering Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine,” using the acronym of China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
“Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China’s support,” he said.
U.S. officials have renewed concerns about China’s support for Russia’s war efforts, saying Beijing is sending machine tools, chips, and other materials that have both civilian and military uses to help rebuild Moscow’s defense sector.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the United States is ready to sanction Chinese companies and financial institutions if they’re facilitating the flow of military goods to Russia, though she said nothing is imminent.
The CCP has denied doing so, but it maintains close relations with Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, less than three weeks after he and Xi had declared a partnership with “no limits.“
Earlier this month, Xi met the visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a show of solidarity between the two neighbors. Mr. Putin confirmed on Thursday that he would visit China in May.
Following the meeting with Xi on Friday, Mr. Bliken raised the issue again.
“China is the top supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose, which is critical to making munitions and rocket propellants, and other dual-use items that Moscow is using to ramp up its defense industrial base,” he told reporters.
“Fueling Russia’s defense industrial base not only threatens Ukrainian security, it threatens European security.”
Mr. Bliken also criticized China’s unfair trade practices and industrial overcapacity, which has threatened businesses and workers in the United States and elsewhere.
“China alone is producing more than 100 percent of global demand” for products like solar panels, electric vehicles, and the batteries that power them, “flooding markets, undermining competition, [and] putting at risk livelihoods and businesses around the world,” Mr. Blinken said, describing the trend as “a movie we have seen before.”
“We know how it ends: with American businesses shuttered and American jobs lost. President Biden will not let this happen on his watch,” he said. “We’ll do what’s necessary to ensure that American workers can compete on a level playing field.”
