There is obviously only one hysterical narrative in the State Department accusing China of building up Russia’s military industrial base with its exports of “dual-use” products, and threatening Europe’s and the entire world’s security by abetting Russian “aggression” in Ukraine. Asked in yesterday’s briefing, about the Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping summit in Beijing, and specifically about Xi’s remark that China didn’t seek escalation with Europe, deputy spokesman Vedant Patel responded with this warning:
“The People’s Republic of China cannot have its cake and eat it too. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t want to have good, further, stronger, deepened relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time.” And it’s not just the U.S. ganging up on China, he warned. This is a position “that is shared by our partners in the G7, our partners at NATO, our partners in the EU. Fueling Russia’s defense industrial base, as the People’s Republic of China has, not only threatens Ukrainian security, it threatens European security, and Beijing can’t achieve better relations with Europe while also continuing to support something like that.”
At China’s Foreign Ministry press briefing today, spokesman Wang Wenbin replied to a question about Patel’s arrogant remarks that “those words reflect a Manichean mindset of the United States, which drives a constant search for an enemy rather than peace. This is a reflection of the Cold War mentality that still dominates U.S. thinking, which bears unshirkable responsibility for the eruption and escalation of the Ukraine crisis.”
He went on: China “is not the creator of or a party to the Ukraine crisis. We have been on the side of peace and dialogue and committed to promoting peace talks. We actively support putting in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. Our fair and objective position and constructive role have been widely recognized. ‘Let the person who tied the bell on the tiger untie it,’ to quote a Chinese saying. Our message to the U.S.: stop shifting the blame on China; do not try to drive a wedge between China and Europe; and it is time to stop fueling the flame and start making real contribution to finding a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.”
