China wants to “deepen” cooperation with Russia, while maintaining its official impartiality on the war in Ukraine, according to statements Sunday from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The big picture: China is frustrated by what it believes are unfair Western trade practices, driven by U.S. policy and Yi’s comments may be aimed more at Washington, D.C. than at Moscow.
- Strengthening relationships with Russia and Putin, including last week’s joint naval drills in the East China Sea, could be seen as political pushback.
Catch up quick: Tensions between the U.S. and China ratcheted up earlier this month.
- First, the Biden administration came out in support of anti-COVID policy protesters in China.
- Then, the new omnibus spending bill included up to $10 billion in security assistance for Taiwan.
But, but, but: China will be reticent to push too hard.
- In the same speech that Yi accused the U.S. of “unilateral bullying,” he also acknowledged “that China and the United States cannot decouple or sever supply chains.”
- “People in both countries and the rest of the world are hoping to see a stabilizing and improving China-US relationship. The zero-sum mentality will only lead the two major countries to mutual attrition and head-on collision,” Yi said.
Source:axios.com