Blinken To China To Fuss About Support For Russia


(MENAFN- Asia Times) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Beijing soon to raise concerns about China's support for Russia's defense industrial base and its purchase of Iranian oil products.

Blinken's China trip was announced after Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran ended a three-day visit in Beijing on Tuesday.

Last week, US officials briefed reporters on materials China was providing to Russia, including drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and machine tools, Reuters reported .

Blinken is also set to discuss with Chinese officials the situation in the Middle East.

On April 11, Blinken requested to have a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to talk about the Iran-Israel conflict. Wang said China strongly condemned Israel's attack on the Iranian Embassy in Syria, which happened on April 1.

On April 12, US President Joe Biden said he expected Iran to attack Israel“sooner, rather than later.” He underscored Washington's commitment to defend Israel. On April 13-14, Iran unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones against Israel, which successfully intercepted most of them.

No full-blown Mideast war yet

Both Washington and Beijing called for de-escalation and a full-blown war has not yet

(Indeed, if a report for which veteran American investigative reporter Seymour Hersh cites unnamed sources is correct, the attack was something of a charade, negotiated in advance, in which Iran was permitted a massive show of anger while inflicting very limited damage.)

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives on Monday passed bipartisan legislation called the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act by a 383-11 vote.

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Asia Times

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