Blinken says China threatens NATO and calls for a joint approach to fighting Beijing

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday issued a strong disapproval of China’s widespread use of coercive measures and urged NATO allies to work with the United States to push for Beijing.

Blinken, in a speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said the United States would not force its European allies to choose “us or them.” However, he made it clear that Washington sees China as an economic and security threat, especially in the field of technology, to NATO allies in Europe.

“There is no doubt that Beijing’s coercive behavior threatens our collective security and prosperity and that it is actively working to downplay the rules of the international system and the values ​​we share with our allies,” Blinken said after holding several days of consultations with NATO allies.

The secretary said there is still room to cooperate with China on common challenges such as climate change and health security, but called on NATO to stay together when Beijing coerces one of the alliance members.

“We know that our allies have complex relations with China that do not always align perfectly with ours. But we must go through these challenges together. That means working with our allies to close the gaps in areas like technology and infrastructure, where Beijing is located, exploiting to exert coercive pressure, “Blinken said.

“When one of us is coerced we should respond as allies and work together to reduce our vulnerability by ensuring that our economies are more integrated with each other,” the top U.S. diplomat said.

Blinken called for the militarization of China in southern China, the use of the predatory economy, the theft of intellectual property, and human rights abuses.

On Monday, the Biden administration imposed a new sanction on two Chinese officials, citing their role in serious human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

Treasury accused China of using repressive tactics over the past five years against Uighurs and other members of ethnic minorities in the region, including mass arrests and surveillance.

“The targets of this surveillance are often stopped and are supposed to be subjected to various methods of torture and ‘political re-education,'” the Treasury wrote in a statement.

Beijing has previously rejected U.S. allegations of genocide against Uyghurs, an indigenous Muslim population in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in northwest China.

Blinken’s comments come at the end of a disputed meeting between Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi, and State Councilor Wang Yi in Alaska.

Prior to the talks, Blinken criticized the radical use of China’s “coercion and aggression” on the international stage and warned that the United States would back down if necessary.

“China uses coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undermine democracy in Taiwan, abuse human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and assert maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law Blinken said at a news conference in Japan.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington erupted under the Trump administration, which intensified a trade war and worked to ban Chinese technology companies from doing business in the United States.

For the past four years, the Trump administration has blamed China for a wide range of offenses, including intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices, and the recent coronavirus pandemic.

President Joe Biden, who spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, previously said his approach to China would be different from his predecessor, as he would work more closely with the Allies in order to retreat against Beijing.

“We will face China’s economic abuses,” Biden said in a speech to the State Department, which described Beijing as America’s “most serious competitor”.

“But we are also prepared to work with Beijing when it does so in the interest of the United States,” Biden said. “We will compete from a position of strength by building ourselves better at home and working with our allies and partners.”

Blinken, the first Biden Cabinet official to visit NATO, reiterated the United States’ commitment to the world’s most powerful alliance.

“We need to be able to keep these conversations so tough and even disagree while still treating each other with respect. Too often in recent years we seem to have forgotten who our friends are in the United States. That has already changed, ”Blinken said. , not to mention the “America First” policy advocated by the Trump administration.

Former President Donald Trump often wore NATO members throughout his presidency and had previously threatened to leave the alliance.

In December 2019, Trump told NATO leaders in London that too many members were still not paying enough and threatened to reduce U.S. military support if the Allies did not increase spending.

Trump pointed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for failing to meet the 2% of GDP spending target set at the 2014 NATO summit in Wales.

At the time, Germany was just one of 19 NATO members that had failed to meet the 2% of GDP spending target set at the 2014 summit.

Blinken acknowledged the complex transatlantic relationship on defense finance and called for a “more comprehensive view of burden-sharing.”

“We recognize the significant progress that many of our NATO allies have made in improving defense investments,” said Blinken, who added that “no single number fully captures a country’s contribution to defense. our security and collective interests, especially in a world where a growing number of threats cannot be met with military force. “

“We have to recognize that because the Allies have different abilities and comparative strengths, they will take their share of the burden in different ways,” Blinken said.