Biden’s Hollow Warnings to China Are Leading to War
The world’s two most dangerous states, Xi Jinping’s People’s Republic of China and Vladimir Putin’s Russian Federation, have been growing closer in part, it seems, because they see there is no cost to ignoring the warnings of the Biden administration
“These are not dual-use capabilities,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters in Brussels on September 10, describing China’s aid to Russia for use against Ukraine. “These are component pieces of a very substantial effort on the part of China to help sustain, build, and diversify various elements of the Russian war machine.”
The Beijing-Moscow cooperation, Campbell argued, is “not a tactical alliance.” It is, instead, “a fundamental alignment.” The Chinese-Russian hook-up was “orchestrated at the highest levels” in the two capitals, he said.
With Campbell’s words, the Biden administration for the first time accused China of providing Moscow with direct support for its war. At the same time, U.S. officials detailed Russia’s technical assistance to China’s submarine and missile programs.
The world’s two most dangerous states, Xi Jinping’s People’s Republic of China and Vladimir Putin’s Russian Federation, have been growing closer in part, it seems, because they see there is no cost to ignoring the warnings of the Biden administration.
President Joe Biden drew his red line on March 18, 2022 during a video call with Xi, warning China not to provide “material support” for the Russian war.
The Chinese state had been behind the Russian war effort even before Putin’s February 24, 2022 invasion. Beijing apparently approved the attack, as evident from the 5,300-word joint statement issued when the Russian leader met Xi in Beijing just 20 days before the start of hostilities. That is when the two states declared their “no-limits” partnership.
In practice, “no limits” means China’s support for Russia has been extensive, including the provision of location data for targeting purposes and the sale of attack drones and ammunition. Russia’s most advanced tanks have Chinese circuit boards.