US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described some of China’s “peaceful ideas” regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine as “truly positive,” but added that Beijing “seeks to have it both ways” when discussing the cessation of hostilities while also supporting Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
He stressed that “the first element that he [China] put on the table – sovereignty – has to be front and center.”
Blinken added that China has “certain levers of influence” over Moscow, and in their relationship Russia “increasingly depends on China” as a “junior partner.”
“And China’s attention should be focused on convincing Russia to truly respect the sovereignty of Ukraine and return the territory it seized by force in violation of the UN Charter and Ukraine’s sovereignty,” said the top US diplomat.
He believes that Beijing “is trying to have it both ways,” that is, it wants China to be seen as a peacemaker while “continuing to support Russia in various ways” and promoting Russian propaganda about the war against Ukraine.
The Secretary of State stated that Washington is “fully committed to ensuring that we are responsible in our relations with China”, because “that is what other countries expect of us, and it is what we seek to do.”
“And again, no one is looking for conflict. On the contrary, we want to ensure that we avoid it. And yes, we are participating in competition. There is nothing wrong with competition if it is fair. But we want to ensure that this competition does not turn into conflict,” Blinken concluded.