Blinken to unveil Biden administration policy toward China on Thursday
The United States is set to reveal its diplomatic stance on China in light of tensions with Beijing, though not much change is anticipated.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington, US, February 1, 2022 (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will unveil the Biden administration's policy toward China during his first visit to George Washington University on Thursday, the State Department said.
"The Asia Society will host Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in delivering an address outlining the Administration's policy toward the People’s Republic of China at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 5, 2022," a State Department press release read on Tuesday.
Though the release of the Biden administration's policy toward China is long overdue, media reports say no major shifts should be expected in Washington's dealing with the country's largest economic partner.
Reports suggest that the new policy will be largely based on that of the Trump administration, and the full text of the document itself will not be made public for some time.
Ties between the United States and China have been strained amid raging issues, such as Taiwan, tariffs, and Beijing's relations with Russia.
China has accused Washington of colluding with Taipei, stressing that certain individuals deliberately drew a parallel between Taiwan and Ukraine "despite the two being fundamentally different issues."
The West, mainly the United States and the United Kingdom, have pledged to arm Taiwan as they have been Ukraine.
China has come out with a statement of condemnation toward the vows. Beijing stressed that sending weapons to Taiwan supports separatism and contradicts their recognition of China.
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced on Tuesday that the Biden administration has begun to review tariffs that were imposed four years ago by former US President Donald Trump.
The tariffs due to expire in the coming months will be reviewed, and domestic industries that benefited from the tariffs will need to request their continuation. Otherwise, the USTR might terminate the tariffs to ease inflation, which is reaching a four-decade high.
"The US should... cut off official interactions and military ties with Taiwan, stop arms sales to Taiwan, and take concrete actions to fulfill its commitment of not supporting 'Taiwan independence'," the spokesperson to the Chinese embassy in the US, Liu Pengyu, said.
On Russia, the Chinese Embassy in Washington has revealed that its main priority is to prevent the tense situation in Ukraine from getting out of control, in response to media reports that Moscow requested from Beijing military equipment since the start of the war in the country.
