Washington’s REAL Policy on China – “Repairing Ties” is Theater Ahead of Sanctions, War

Brian Berletic takes a step back to discuss Blinken’s visit to China before the Progozhin affaire took over the airwaves and consumed everyone’s attention.

It is again topical in the runup to Janet Yellen’s visit to China planned from July 6 to 9. Both Chinese and American analysts believe that the two sides could make some improvements, even though the overall expectations for bilateral ties remain low.

An interesting development surrounded Borrell (the EU gardener), who announced that he will visit China on the 10th. What happened there is comical. Borrell announced his visit before China agreed, as if he has the only say, and so China postponed it to some date in the future. This morning Mao Ning, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, was asked about it, and she said very coldly: “I have nothing to offer!”

Brian Berletic notes that Secretary Blinken during his visit recited the US “One China” policy, omitting the many ways the US has and still is blatantly violating it and provoking China. US strategy follows a similar pattern of the US “reset” with Russia or the US-Iran “nuclear deal,” where the US sought to appear to have exhausted diplomatic options before moving on “reluctantly” to economic sanctions and war. Such a strategy is necessary for consensus building among US allies who would otherwise be hesitant to join the US in both economic sanctions and eventual military intervention versus China;

He says US policymakers are already busy planning sanctions against China, which includes an already ongoing public relations campaign to sell Russia-style sanctions against China, as well as preparations for military operations to follow the sanctions. The US has a long-standing strategy to encircle and contain China spanning decades, indifferent to presidential administrations.

It is generally accepted among commentators and analysts that China’s restrictions on the rare earth metals, eight compounds of gallium and six compounds of germanium “to protect their national security and interests” is a preemptive sanctions strike. This means that a permit is required to export them and anyone that has imposed sanctions against China can wait at the end of the line. Gallium and germanium are widely used in broadband semiconductors in communications equipment, solar cells, electric vehicles, satellite communications, and military applications.

China is the dominant producer of these metals. For example, in 2021, the volume of primary production of gallium in China amounted to 420 tons, in Russia – 5 tons, in Japan – 3 tons, and in South Korea – 2. At the same time, primary production of gallium accounts for 54% of the total production, and secondary processing – 46%.

China is expecting new restrictions from the United States and the Netherlands on the supply of high-tech chips and equipment for the production of microcircuits to China.

It is obvious that the decision of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce follows the Russian ‘Friendly Nations’ approach. If you sanction them, you get nothing and in my view, that is what Yellen is going to get.

In 2022, the main importers of Chinese gallium products were Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Netherlands, and Germany – Japan, France, the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States.