No time-out for tensions in the US-China relationship On his European diplomatic blitz, President Joe Biden made countering China a core part of discussions, and joint statements, with the G7, NATO and the EU. Beijing created new legal tools to retaliate against US sanctions, which put global firms in the crosshairs of their conflict. This article is a summary of important US China news in June 2021. Major democracies rallied together “to issue extraordinary back-to-back rebukes of Beijing, marking a shift toward collective action and pushing back against Xi Jinping’s strategies to position China as a global leader,” wrote the Wall Street Journal. China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the two statements as the misguided work of “small circles” and primarily the US. The G7’s Build Back Better World initiative (B3W) to counter Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative was welcomed by countries in China’s immediate orbit of influence, but must overcome doubts…

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After 100 days as US President, Joe Biden showed little sign of backing down from a tough stance towards an equally stubborn Beijing that has kept tensions high in US China relations. The USA is “in competition with China” to “win the 21st century”, Biden told Congress. With stepped-up US reconnaissance in the disputed South China Sea, and a major bill to counter China in the Senate, only climate change appeared a promising area for co-operation. This article is a summary of important US China news in April 2021. It will be a high-stakes, high-tech battle, said Biden. “China and other countries are closing in fast. We have to develop and dominate the products and technologies of the future.” While they looked old school to non-experts, the three high-tech, world-class warships Xi Jinping commissioned on 23 April confirmed China’s ambitious naval expansion, military modernisation and preparation to take the island of…

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The many challenges troubling US China relations stayed firmly in the news as the USA transited from the Donald Trump to the Joe Biden era. In its final days, the Trump administration did nothing to ease US China tensions, rather they raced to increase the pressure on Beijing. While Beijing may hope for a softer approach from the new president, his secretary of state nominee, Antony Blinken, said Trump’s tough approach to China was right but the tactics were wrong. This article is a summary of important US China news in January 2020. Blinken said he favoured cooperation with China on climate change and other issues, but reiterated that genocide had been committed against Uighur Muslims. John Kerry pledged that the White House would not make unsavoury concessions to China in exchange for climate progress. “China is a strategic adversary,” said US ambassador to the UN nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Treating China as a “strategic…

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Tensions stayed high between the US and China as they ended 2020 in the same increasingly confrontational manner that characterised the rest of this deeply troubled year: swapping sanctions and accusations of foul play. This article is a summary of important news related to China US relations in December 2020. Even as time ticked down on his administration, President Trump and his opposite number kept the Sino-US relationship in turmoil with several moves that underscored strained ties between the world’s two strongest economies. China expressed anger after Trump signed into law measures to bolster support for Tibet and Taiwan, including sanctions against Chinese officials who interfere in the selection of the Dalai Lama’s successor, and support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in UN bodies and regular arms sales. The US ambassador to the UN will visit Taiwan, said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called Taiwan “a reliable partner and…

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In late November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping finally congratulated his next US opposite number on his election victory over Donald Trump, despite Joe Biden calling Xi, more than once on the campaign trail, a “thug” for China’s human rights abuses. This article is a summary of major news items concerning China US relations in November 2020. Amid the vote count, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Le Yucheng hoped the next US administration would meet China halfway, manage differences and push China-US ties along the right track. Yet turmoil and a very bumpy ride still look more likely, with tensions high over trade, the military, the South China Sea, cyberspace – and actual space. Senior Trump officials said they were pushing for new hard-line measures against Beijing, even as he winds down his final two months in office. Among multiple thorny issues for Biden to tackle, the Trump administration approved the latest in a series of arms sales to Taiwan, while…

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President Trump kept up the tough talk on China, who he blamed for hurting the world economy with Covid-19, but his trade war that has defined US China relations appeared to miss key targets as the election neared on 6 November. Tensions soared over Taiwan as Beijing stepped up military preparations to improve its invasion capability, and the US State Department approved the potential sale of three weapons systems to Taipei. This article is a summary of major news items concerning China US relations in October 2020. Focus on “preparing to go to war” Xi Jinping told marines at a Guangdong military base, while the PLA increased preparations by air, sea and land to exert pressure on the Taiwanese government. The USS Barry passed through the Taiwan Strait, enraging China. At least 60 American warplanes conducted close-up reconnaissance flights near China in September, and analysts concluded that the US is preparing for future long-distance missions in…

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