Blinken says he challenged China's Xi on Russia war support - BBC News
Blinken says he challenged China's Xi on Russia war support - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Celia Hatton
As we've been reporting, during wide-ranging talks the two sides addressed US demands that China curb the global trade in fentanyl and rising tensions over disputed territory in the South China Sea.
BBC Asia Pacific Regional Editor
Here are some of the pictures charting today's meetings in Beijing:
Antony Blinken reserved his strongest language for China in
its alleged dealings with Russia – castigating Beijing for reportedly allowing
the war on Ukraine to continue through its economic support.
Such a blatant dressing-down, in the Chinese capital,
reveals China’s apparent failure to chart a careful path between its key
interests.
The war in Ukraine presents a nightmare scenario for China – a war
that positions one of its top allies, Russia, against its top economic
partners, the United States and the EU.
To balance this, China has attempted to position itself as a
potential mediator in the Ukraine war.
So far, it’s held back from offering
Russia its full military support. However, it’s also filling Moscow’s bank
account by gorging on Russian oil.
And, as Blinken says, Beijing is also
supplying dual-use items that are being used to churn out Russian rockets,
drones, tanks and other weapons.
Blinken chose to appeal to Xi Jinping’s interest in
acting as an international statesman.
Blinken was careful to praise
Beijing’s diplomatic successes – noting that he believed China pulled Russia
back from the brink last year when Moscow had repeatedly threatened to use
nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
The US is now calling on Beijing, and Xi,
to step into that role again.
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