MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : USA vs. CHINA – TOP OF THE AGENDA

March 17, 2021
U.S. Sanctions Chinese Officials Ahead of Bilateral Meeting
The United States announced sanctions against twenty-four officials from mainland China and Hong Kong under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act. In a statement (State Dept.), Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted a recent effort by China’s National People’s Congress to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system, an action he said “denies Hong Kongers a voice.”

The United States has previously sanctioned Chinese officials under the act, but the latest move significantly widens (NYT) the group targeted. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the sanctions reveal (AP) the United States’ “sinister intention to interfere in China’s internal affairs” and that China will take steps to defend its interests. Tomorrow, Blinken and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan are set to meet with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and its foreign minister, Wang Yi, in Alaska. It will be the first in-person, senior-level talks with China since President Joe Biden took office.
Analysis
“In spite of its many visible defects, the United States remains the stronger power in the U.S.-Chinese relationship—and it has good reason to think it can stay that way. For all the obstacles facing the United States, those facing China are considerably greater,” the Brookings Institution’s Ryan Hass writes for Foreign Affairs.

“Even if [tomorrow’s meeting] does not moderate tensions, let us hope that it does not make things worse. The odds are that each side will restate its already well-known positions and then depart. But sober statesmen with a long view should try to identify and pursue areas of cooperation that will benefit both sides and the world community,” CFR’s Jerome A. Cohen writes on his blog.