China-US relations: Blinken says Beijing is bringing more aggression to competitive and cooperative ties

Name: No change to US’ one-China stand on Taiwan, Blinken tells Wang Yi on G20 sidelines in Rome
Uploaded: 2022-01-25T06:00:26.000Z
Duration: 1 min 7 s
Description: No change to US’ one-China stand on Taiwan, Blinken tells Wang Yi on G20 sidelines in Rome

US secretary of state says relationship is growing increasingly adversarial because ‘this is in many ways a different China on the world stage’

But he acknowledges Washington’s own rejection of multilateralism in recent years has allowed Beijing to take a more prominent global role

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a virtual discussion on Monday that US rejection of multilateralism in recent years aided China’s rising prominence on the world stage. Photo: AFP

Owen Churchill

Published: 2:00pm, 25 Jan 2022Updated: 4:33pm, 25 Jan 2022

The US-China relationship is becoming increasingly adversarial, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who on Monday criticised the Chinese government for being “more assertive and aggressive” than in previous decades.

During a virtual discussion hosted by the Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta, Blinken reiterated that there were both competitive and cooperative components to the China policy that United States President Joe Biden’s administration had adopted in its first year.

“But we see increasingly, as well, adversarial aspects to this,” Blinken said. “And that is in large part because … this is in many ways a different China on the world stage over the last few years than we’ve seen in the last few decades: much more assertive, much more aggressive, whether it’s in the region or beyond.”

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No change to US’ one-China stand on Taiwan, Blinken tells Wang Yi on G20 sidelines in Rome

Blinken’s laundry list of criticisms of the Chinese government included its economic practices, human rights record, treatment of intellectual property and funding of overseas infrastructure projects that lacked adequate environmental protections and failed to use local labour.

Yet, even as he assailed China on those fronts, Blinken attributed Beijing’s increasing prominence on the world stage in part to Washington’s own rejection of multilateralism in recent years – alluding to the go-it-alone approach of former US president Donald Trump.

“As we stepped back, they stepped in,” Blinken said, referring to Beijing. “And that is not in our interest.”

Blinken’s remarks came as Washington and Beijing struggle to agree on the timing and agenda of a potential face-to-face meeting between top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan amid ongoing efforts by both sides to prevent tensions from veering into conflict.

The South China Morning Post previously reported that a proposal by the US for the meeting to take place earlier this month was rebuffed by the Chinese side in the wake of the Biden administration’s announcement of a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.