The White House rather hastily refused to consider it. But now Beijing can use it as a tool of its “soft power” – acting as a peacemaker in the eyes of the Global South
Source: Bloomberg.com
The Biden administration has reacted very sharply to Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow. Secretary Blinken called it a “three-day celebration of authoritarianism.” The White House could stage another round of sanctions against Chinese companies that would invest in the Russian economy – or, Washington believes, start supplying arms, including shells, artillery and drones.
Meanwhile, Republicans are calling Russia-China rapprochement a major failure of Biden’s policies. Former Trump adviser and neocon hawk John Bolton has argued that the China-Russia alliance is a bigger challenge for the United States than the Ukraine conflict.
And the White House itself fears that excessive pressure on China will encourage Beijing to pursue policies that run counter to US interests. China has already recently succeeded in restoring relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia – which has taken many in the US by surprise.
In the West, the Ukraine peace plan is met with hostility – so in this case China is unlikely to be able to implement it. However, Beijing could now win over more non-western countries – tired of the consequences of war, such as rising prices. And this would have a considerable impact on the position of the U.S. in Africa and Latin America – for which China may now become not only its main trading partner, but also a key political ally.
Malek Dudakov
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