Blinken says China is threatening NATO and calls for a concerted approach to counter Beijing

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday issued a strong rebuke over China’s widespread use of coercive measures and urged NATO allies to work with the US to stage a backlash in Beijing.

Blinken said in a speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels that the US would not force its European allies to make a “us or them choice”. However, he made it clear that Washington sees China as an economic and security threat, especially in the technological field, 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 undermine the rules of the international system and the values ​​that we and our allies share,” Blinken said after a few days. consultations with NATO allies.

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

“We know that our allies have complex relationships with China that will not always align perfectly with ours. But we must face these challenges together. That means we must work with our allies to address the gaps in areas such as technology and infrastructure. where Beijing is. Exploit for coercion, “Blinken said.

“When one of us is forced to act, we must act as allies and work together to reduce our vulnerability by making sure our economies are more integrated with each other,” America’s top diplomat said.

Blinken cited China’s militarization of the South China Sea, the use of predatory economy, intellectual property theft and human rights violations.

On Monday, the Biden government imposed new sanctions on two Chinese officials, citing their role in serious human rights violations against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

The Ministry of Finance has accused China of using repressive tactics against Uyghurs and other members of the region’s ethnic minorities over the past five years, including mass detention and surveillance.

Targets of this surveillance are often detained and reportedly subjected to various methods of torture and “political re-education,” Treasury wrote in a statement.

Beijing has previously rejected US allegations that it committed genocide against Uyghurs, a Muslim population indigenous to Xinjiang’s Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China.

Blinken’s comments come on the heels of a controversial meeting between Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and Alaska State Councilor Wang Yi.

Ahead of the talks, Blinken condemned China’s widespread use of “coercion and aggression” on the international scene and warned that the US will push back if necessary.

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

Tensions between Beijing and Washington skyrocketed under the Trump administration, which escalated a trade war and banned Chinese technology companies from doing business in the United States.

Over the past four years, the Trump administration has blamed China on a wide variety of grievances, including intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices and most recently the coronavirus pandemic.

President Joe Biden, speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, has previously said that his approach to China would be different from that of his predecessor in that he would work more closely with allies to mount a backlash against Beijing.

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

“But we are also willing to work with Beijing if it is in America’s interest to do so,” said Biden. “We will compete from a strong position by building better at home and working with our allies and partners.”

Blinken, Biden’s first cabinet-level official to visit NATO, reiterated the US’s commitment to the world’s most powerful alliance.

“We have to be able to have these difficult conversations and even disagree, while still treating each other with respect. Too often in the US in recent years we seem to have forgotten who our friends are. without mentioning the “America First” policy advocated by the Trump administration.

Former President Donald Trump regularly dressed NATO members during 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 cut US military aid if the allies don’t increase their spending.

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

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

Blinken recognized the troubled transatlantic relationship with defense financing and called for a “more holistic view of burden sharing”.

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

“We must recognize that because allies have different capabilities and relative strengths, they will carry their share of the burden in different ways,” Blinken said.