U.S. Secretary of State Blinken is in London for a meeting of G-7 foreign ministers. (May 4, 2021)
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in London for a meeting of G-7 foreign ministers, says in an interview that the United States is not trying to contain China, but that the United States and its allies must defend a rules-based international order. He said the Chinese government is becoming increasingly repressive internally and aggressive externally. The U.S.-China relationship includes all three dimensions of confrontation, competition and cooperation, Blinken said.
In an interview with Financial Times editor-in-chief Lula Khalaf in London on Tuesday (May 4), Blinken spoke with her about U.S. diplomatic strategy, with how to deal with China being the focus of the segment. The State Department has released a transcript of the interview.
Asked about his encounter with Chinese officials in Alaska last March, Blinken said he did not see any new approach from the Chinese side, while he expressed the U.S. position to the Chinese side.
We’re not trying to contain China or suppress China,” he said. We’re trying to preserve the rules-based international order, which is an order that we’ve invested in for decades, that serves our interests well, and not only our — we think, for all its imperfections, serves the world’s interests well, which, by the way, includes serving China’s interests as well. Whoever takes action that will disrupt that order, that will challenge that order, that will try to undermine it, we will stand up to defend it.”
The chief U.S. diplomat went on to refute allegations made by Beijing that Washington was interfering in China’s internal affairs. He said, “When China says to us that the things we’re complaining about, whether it’s Xinjiang and the bad treatment of the Uighurs or Taiwan or Tibet or Hong Kong, those are internal affairs and they have nothing to do with us. They are completely wrong. For example, on the issue of Xinjiang, China signed the International Declaration of Human Rights at the United Nations. …… We take that seriously. It’s part of a rules-based order. If you don’t keep your promises, we will speak out on this. We have the right to do so.”
Turning to Taiwan, Blinken said the United States has managed the Taiwan issue “quite well and quite effectively” over the years by acting in a manner consistent with the “One China” policy, the Taiwan Relations Act, the three communiqués and the six pledges.
He went on to say, “What is very troubling and very worrying is that Beijing seems to be taking a different approach and acting aggressively. I think we are committed to making sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. That commitment is not going to go away. At the same time, I think it would be a very serious mistake for either side to try to disrupt by force the status quo that currently exists.”
Blinken said the U.S. has to start from a position of strength when dealing with China, including working with allies and partners. When countries act together, he said, there is a better chance of getting China to change its behavior.
Countries around the world that are unhappy with some of the behaviors China is engaging in are coming together,” he said. There is a better opportunity to do that. Take economic and business issues, for example. When the United States alone complains about these issues, we only account for 25 percent of world GDP. if we work closely with other countries with similar grievances, mostly democracies, this could be 40, 50, 60 percent of world GDP. it’s much harder for China to ignore.”
Blinken acknowledged that countries have complex relationships with China, including economic dealings.
Secretary Blinken said, “First of all, we’re not asking countries to pick sides. We recognize that countries have complex relationships, including with China, including economic relationships. The issue is not that those relationships have to be severed or terminated. But there are certain basic criteria. We believe that those certain ground rules are something that we should all abide by.”
He went on to say, “Especially on trade and commerce issues, we want to see a race to the top, not a race to the bottom, whether it’s basic investment standards or making sure we care about the environment, making sure we protect workers’ rights, protecting intellectual property rights and guarding against technology theft. All of those things have to be front and center, and that doesn’t run counter to countries engaging with China, but as I said, we want to see them engaging with high standards, not low standards. It’s in their profound interest. Again, the point is that when countries do that together, it’s more likely that Beijing will have to play by those rules rather than the rules that it has arbitrarily set and that have proven to be a race to the bottom rather than a race to the top.”
Asked if the current state of U.S.-China relations was entering a “new cold war,” Blinken replied, “I object to labeling most relationships, including this one, because it is complex. …… Unfortunately, we have seen in recent years that the Beijing government has become increasingly repressive internally and increasingly aggressive externally. And when I look at the relationship, I see the adversarial dimension. I see the competitive level. I see the cooperation level. All three.”
Secretary Blinken also spoke Sunday in an exclusive interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” about the Chinese government becoming increasingly repressive internally and aggressive externally, and the need for the United States to stand up for order-based international rules.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Blinken was asked whether China is winning vaccine diplomacy. He replied, “I think we’re taking the lead. I think we’re going to be more and more effective in leading the way.”
The secretary of state was also asked whether U.S. companies should sponsor the Beijing Winter Olympics. He replied that the U.S. is talking to allies and partners and asking for their views, but it’s early days before the Beijing Winter Olympics and “that’s not something we’re focused on yet.”
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