China wants US action not words, as experts wonder if Joe Biden is phoning it in
- Latest
call between the American and Chinese presidents continued a pattern in
which talks have been followed by US measures countering Beijing
- Rather
than moves to repair relations, there has been further use of sanctions
and visa restrictions against Chinese firms and officials
Amber Wang
in Beijing
With Washington continuing to make moves that upset Beijing, hopes in China of the US side working to repair relations are fading, they say.
In the two presidents’ latest call on March 18 – their first since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine – Xi attributed worsening US-China ties to “some people in the US” failing to implement the consensus he said the pair had reached. His choice of words stopped short of directly blaming Biden or the entire US government.
Xi and Biden had “directed their teams to promptly follow up” their call and take concrete action to put China-US ties back on track, according to the Chinese statement that followed their discussion.
The Chinese statement also quoted Biden as saying during the call that the United States did not support independence for Taiwan, and did not seek a new cold war, or to change China’s system or revitalise alliances against it. “I take these remarks very seriously,” Xi was quoted as saying.
However, the American side continued to use sanctions and other measures to target Chinese firms and personnel over China’s human rights record and US national security concerns.
Last Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on a Chinese company for supplying Syria with controlled equipment. That was followed on Friday by the Federal Communications Commission adding China Telecom (Americas) Corp and China Mobile International (USA) to its list of communications equipment and service providers that are deemed threats to US national security.
Shi Yinhong, an international affairs professor at Renmin University, said there had been no improvement in relations since the March 18 call, and it was unrealistic to expect any during the Ukraine crisis.
“The US hasn’t formally accused China of supporting Russia in Ukraine, triggering new sanctions, but it has kept other actions on the same track as before, including decoupling of the hi-tech sector and supply chain,” he said.
During their latest call, Biden described to Xi “the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia”, according to the White House.
There have been no immediate signs of tensions easing over other issues dividing the two nations, such as the disputed South China Sea. During last week alone, the US announced that it and the Philippines were to begin their biggest joint military drills in three decades, and Beijing-based think tank the South China Sea Probing Initiative said three US surveillance ships had been operating in and around the South China Sea and east of Taiwan for several days.
China’s foreign ministry said it did not oppose the fortnight-long military drills – which began on Monday – but hoped the exercises were “not targeting a third party”.
00:05 / 00:35
What China could gain, and lose, in the Ukraine-Russia crisis
Liu Weidong, a China-US specialist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the US would not readily abandon sanctions as a means of pressuring China, and was “no longer able to fully devote itself to competition with China because the Russia-Ukraine conflict has had a major impact on diplomatic strategy”.
Zhao Kejin, an international affairs expert with Tsinghua University, said cooperation and competition would inevitably coexist in the relationship, and the Chinese side “had no expectation that relations could improve overnight”.
29 Mar, 2022
Beijing has urged Washington repeatedly to
deliver the improved relations it says US President Joe Biden promised,
but events since Biden’s latest talks with counterpart Xi Jinping
suggest a marked uplift is unlikely, according to experts.
With Washington continuing to make moves that upset Beijing, hopes in China of the US side working to repair relations are fading, they say.
In the two presidents’ latest call on March 18 – their first since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine – Xi attributed worsening US-China ties to “some people in the US” failing to implement the consensus he said the pair had reached. His choice of words stopped short of directly blaming Biden or the entire US government.
Xi and Biden had “directed their teams to promptly follow up” their call and take concrete action to put China-US ties back on track, according to the Chinese statement that followed their discussion.
The Chinese statement also quoted Biden as saying during the call that the United States did not support independence for Taiwan, and did not seek a new cold war, or to change China’s system or revitalise alliances against it. “I take these remarks very seriously,” Xi was quoted as saying.
However, the American side continued to use sanctions and other measures to target Chinese firms and personnel over China’s human rights record and US national security concerns.
Three days after the Xi-Biden call, US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken announced new visa restrictions on Chinese
officials alleged to have played a part in repressing ethnic and
religious minorities in China and abroad.
Last Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on a Chinese company for supplying Syria with controlled equipment. That was followed on Friday by the Federal Communications Commission adding China Telecom (Americas) Corp and China Mobile International (USA) to its list of communications equipment and service providers that are deemed threats to US national security.
Shi Yinhong, an international affairs professor at Renmin University, said there had been no improvement in relations since the March 18 call, and it was unrealistic to expect any during the Ukraine crisis.
“The US hasn’t formally accused China of supporting Russia in Ukraine, triggering new sanctions, but it has kept other actions on the same track as before, including decoupling of the hi-tech sector and supply chain,” he said.
“The Ukraine crisis is an earth-shattering event and will undoubtedly further intensify US-China relations.”
During their latest call, Biden described to Xi “the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia”, according to the White House.
The US had no immediate plans to sanction China
over the war in Ukraine because Beijing had so far not provided military
support to Moscow, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday.
There have been no immediate signs of tensions easing over other issues dividing the two nations, such as the disputed South China Sea. During last week alone, the US announced that it and the Philippines were to begin their biggest joint military drills in three decades, and Beijing-based think tank the South China Sea Probing Initiative said three US surveillance ships had been operating in and around the South China Sea and east of Taiwan for several days.
Washington also named
former senior diplomat Joseph Yun to lead languishing talks with three
tiny but strategically important Pacific island countries – a signal
that countering China remained a priority even during Russia’s attack on
Ukraine.
China’s foreign ministry said it did not oppose the fortnight-long military drills – which began on Monday – but hoped the exercises were “not targeting a third party”.
00:05 / 00:35
What China could gain, and lose, in the Ukraine-Russia crisis
Wu
Xinbo, director of Fudan University’s American studies centre, said
recent developments would have added to the impression in Beijing that
“no matter what verbal promises the US gives, it’s unlikely that Biden’s
team can be counted on to improve relations”.
In trade, China
welcomed Washington’s announcement last week that it was to reinstate
tariff exemptions for more than 350 Chinese goods, and called for all
duties introduced during Donald Trump’s presidency to be lifted as soon
as possible.
Liu Weidong, a China-US specialist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the US would not readily abandon sanctions as a means of pressuring China, and was “no longer able to fully devote itself to competition with China because the Russia-Ukraine conflict has had a major impact on diplomatic strategy”.
Zhao Kejin, an international affairs expert with Tsinghua University, said cooperation and competition would inevitably coexist in the relationship, and the Chinese side “had no expectation that relations could improve overnight”.