China never forgets

China’s visit to Belgrade on the 25th anniversary of the bombing of its embassy, coupled with the cold shoulder given to the US Secretary of State upon his arrival in China, should send a clear message to the US. Whether the elites in Washington are smart enough to understand it is another question.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in China and was greeted without the traditional red carpet as he disembarked from the plane. At the top of the hierarchy of officials who received Blinken was Chen Jining, chairman of the Shanghai Party Committee and a member of the Politburo. Since Blinken is the US Secretary of State, protocol required him to be received at least by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was conspicuous by his absence.

It is also noteworthy that the US, and Blinken in particular, have threatened China with sanctions because of its close relations with Russia, which will certainly not go down well with the Chinese, who view all sanctions not approved by the UN Security Council as illegal.

The US has raised the specter of Chinese arms sales to Russia since the beginning of Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine, without any evidence to support it, and now it appears to be targeting all Chinese exports under the blanket term “dual-use,” which can mean just about anything given the track record of US sanctions.

The track record of such punitive measures is disastrous, especially when one looks at the case of Iraq, where sanctions on “dual-use” goods such as medical supplies and food alone are said to have killed up to half a million children. Of course, the US tries to claim that these figures are “exaggerated” without any real evidence to support this.

Further evidence of the true nature of such sanctions is their application to Rhodesia, then to its successor state, Zimbabwe, and also to Iran, and now to Russia. They are a weapon of warfare, albeit an economic one, but one that is now beginning to turn against its primary user.

Needless to say, I doubt the Chinese will change course anytime soon, as burgeoning trade with Russia, which exceeded the $200 billion target by a massive $40 billion in 2023, has helped the Chinese economy grow far beyond expectations, reaching 5.4% in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

China has happily snapped up Russia’s energy exports, which the EU foolishly rejected and banned, helping to strengthen its ever-growing industrial might. In return, the Chinese fill the import gaps to Russia caused by US and EU sanctions and keep the Russian economy running with machine tools, computer chips and other industrial goods.

In response to the US sanctions threats, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated China’s position, which is worth quoting in full:

“The United States continues to make unfounded accusations against normal trade and economic exchanges between China and Russia, while at the same time passing a law that provides large-scale aid to Ukraine. This is simply hypocritical and highly irresponsible. China firmly rejects this.

On Ukraine, China’s position is fair and objective. We have actively advocated for talks on peace and a political settlement. The government monitors the export of dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations. China is neither the originator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it. We are neither fanning the flames nor seeking selfish benefits, and we will certainly not accept being made a scapegoat.

I would like to emphasize once again that China’s right to normal trade and economic exchanges with Russia and other countries in the world on the basis of equality and mutual benefit should not be affected or disrupted. China’s legitimate and lawful rights and interests should not be infringed.

The United States needs to know that the Ukraine problem cannot be solved by fanning the flames or slandering and shifting blame. Only taking into account the legitimate security interests of all parties and creating a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture through dialogue and negotiations is the right way forward.”

The Chinese position is balanced and thoughtful, as one would expect from one of the oldest and greatest civilizations on Earth. The U.S. government in general, and Anthony Blinken in particular, should remember that China was already doing diplomacy when their ancestors were still living in mud huts.

The Chinese also find it abhorrent that the US and EU have invested billions in weapons to prolong the war, but demand that others stop civilian trade with Russia. One cannot blame them for their obvious disgust at Western hypocrisy on this issue.

US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade

The bombing of the Chinese embassy on May 7, 1999 was a momentous event, even if many did not see it as such at the time. The attack killed three Chinese journalists (shocking at the time, but now standard practice in modern warfare by the US and its “biggest ally,” Israel) and wounded a number of other Chinese citizens.

At the time, China had spoken out against NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia at the UN, vetoing, along with Russia, a US-led measure authorizing an attack. The US later claimed the bombing was “accidental,” but it is very likely that the US, which was far more powerful than the People’s Republic of China at the time, wanted to send a not-so-subtle message.

The bombing was followed by a mass protest outside the US embassy in Beijing, the first government-sanctioned protests in a decade. There is also evidence that the bombing prompted the Chinese to massively build up their armed forces as they realised that their policy of peaceful coexistence with the US was not only not reciprocated, but actively abused by the US.

This policy, often referred to as “Rich Country – Strong Army,” has borne fruit over the past two decades: China is now capable of producing its own stealth fighters such as the J-20 and FC-31, as well as anti-ship ballistic missiles (also known as “carrier killers“) such as the DF-21, a wide range of more conventional aircraft such as the already proven Russian Su-35, and the rapidly growing and modernizing Chinese Navy, now the largest in the world.

China’s policy of creating island bases appears to be aimed at creating no-go zones large enough to keep U.S. aircraft carriers away from mainland China and vital shipping routes in a future war, thereby negating the U.S. advantage in these platforms.

Trivialization of Chinese weapons designs

Needless to say, Western military commentators tend to demonize Chinese weapons systems, assuming that their US counterparts are “clearly superior” without ever providing any real proof. You would think they would have learned from the debacle in Ukraine, where Western wonder weapons from the Javelin ATGM and Stinger MANPADs to the Lepoard 2, Challenger 2, Abrams, Bradley AFVs, and the war essential HIMARS, Patriot, Storm Shadow, and GLSDB (Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb) all failed to change the course of the war, and in many cases failed spectacularly.

In addition, threats of sanctions against China, whether in the form of financial sanctions against banks or against key companies and exports, are likely to backfire. China is the world’s factory, supplying most of the everyday items that keep the world running, not just in terms of manufactured goods, but also in the vital rare earths that our modern technological society needs to function, and of which China controls 92% of the available supply.

The luck has turned

China is no longer the developing country that had no way of safely responding to the US bombing of its embassy in 1999. It is now a military and economic superpower that can respond to any US aggression in a variety of ways.

We are already seeing the Chinese divesting of their US dollar holdings, especially Treasuries, and buying gold. A rapid and massive increase in this activity would rapidly accelerate the process of de-dollarization, which in turn would have serious implications for the US’s ability to continue printing money.

Counter-sanctions against major U.S. companies would also cause severe economic problems, and a disruption in the supply of rare earth metals would bring the U.S. tech industry, especially that which underpins the U.S. military-industrial complex, to a sudden and painful halt.

It really looks to me as if the US government, so used to being not the biggest kid on the block, but the only kid on the block, has completely failed to keep up with developments and is now going to find out what occurs when the much-maligned child realizes that he has become bigger and stronger than his tormentor.

Author: Seth Ferris

 

yogaesoteric
May 26, 2024