According to the State Department chief, the United States would have much more influence over the PRC if it did not act alone
The US-French relationship with China is complex, but the aim of Washington’s policy is not to contain Beijing. This was the assertion made by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in an interview with the French television channel TF1. A transcript of the conversation was circulated by the State Department press office on Saturday.
“I have seen especially in recent weeks a convergence of approach on China [with France], I think we are looking at the same thing. It’s a very complex relationship for all of our countries, the essence of which cannot be simplified into a single word or sentence”, – Blinken said. – “We have the same view with France, which is that there are antagonistic, competitive and cooperative elements in the relationship [with China]. The important thing <…> is that we will have much more influence if we approach China together rather than acting alone.”
According to the Secretary of State, such convergence is reflected in the outcomes of the G7, NATO, US-EU summits.
“I want to make it clear that our goal is not to contain China, to pursue a policy against China”, – he argued. – “[Our goal] is to support a free and open system based on the rules and standards that the US and France set after World War II”.
According to Blinken, the alternative to a system in which everyone follows the rules and respects the agreements made is war.
“It is the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. <…> For us, the idea is to support a [free] system together with allies and partners, not against China, but for a positive vision of the future and the relationship between our countries”, – says the US secretary of state.