On Thursday, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns stated that the aggressive stance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has led more countries to establish or strengthen strategic relationships with the United States. This behavior by the CCP towards neighboring countries has prompted the US to restrict the export of advanced technology to China.
Burns made these remarks on Thursday at the Asia Society regarding US-China relations. He emphasized the starkly different views held by the US and China on human freedom and human rights. He also explained the US export restrictions to China and issues such as CCP’s overcapacity in production.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, Burns indicated that the US restricts the export of advanced technology to China because there is increasing evidence that the CCP government’s stance is becoming more “aggressive,” and US analysis suggests that the CCP government may use these advanced technologies when “bullying” some neighboring countries.
“We must anticipate that these technologies will be militarized (by the CCP),” he said.
To illustrate the CCP’s bullying in the Indo-Pacific region, Burns pointed out Beijing’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, which has led to territorial disputes with Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, and Brunei.
“We are concerned about China’s (CCP) bullying of neighboring countries in the South China Sea and East China Sea,” Burns said, emphasizing that interpreting the driving force behind Beijing’s hardline policies and future direction is not easy.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, but we have seen consistent aggressive behavior,” he added. Furthermore, an increasing number of CCP foreign policies are provoking the US, EU, Japan, South Korea, India, and Southeast Asian countries. This has led more countries to strengthen their strategic relationships with the US. Japan has decided to double its defense budget, while the UK and some European countries are willing to play a more active role in the Indo-Pacific region.
Although Beijing often talks about its “core interests,” Burns emphasized that the US also has its own interests, including support for Europe, treaty obligations with allies such as Japan and the Philippines, as well as support for human rights and freedom of speech.
The US ambassador highlighted that while the US may make mistakes, unlike some countries, the US allows its people to voice opinions and question its leaders.
Burns also mentioned the CCP’s large-scale “dumping” of solar panels, lithium batteries, automobiles, and other products in foreign markets.
Critics argue that the CCP’s practice of selling goods at below-market prices aims to eliminate overseas competitors.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US, Liu Pengyu, countered the claims, stating that the US abuses the concept of national security, politicizes and weaponizes economic and trade issues, and creates artificial barriers to normal economic and trade cooperation.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that when the CCP dumps subsidized products into the market, “whatever that product is, it will disrupt the overall global pricing,” adding that it will make “all of us less secure.” While each country must make its own decisions, “if we act collectively, I believe that this is a way to send a message to China (CCP).”
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, during her visit to China in April, particularly emphasized the issue of overcapacity in Chinese production. She mentioned visiting a solar company Suniva in Georgia before her trip to China, which had been forced to shut down like many other companies in the industry because they could not compete with the goods exported by China (CCP) in large volumes at artificially low prices.
Burns believes that CCP’s policies are harmful, including the support of Russian industrial bases by Chinese companies during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Daleep Singh of the White House National Security Council stated on Thursday at the Center for a New American Security that China (CCP) is increasingly becoming a factory for the Russian war machine. These goods are appearing on the battlefield and giving Russia an edge.