Beijing has threatened that Washington will face “consequences” if it doesn’t withdraw the recent batch of sanctions against China over military cooperation with Russia. China’s Foreign Ministry did not mince words, saying Washington should immediately correct its “mistakes” before it’s too late or face the consequences for the decision.
“We strongly call on the US to remedy the mistake and cancel the sanctions. Otherwise, the US has to bear the consequences,” spokesperson Geng Shuang said as cited by Chinese media.
FILE PHOTO. © Maxim Shemetov US slaps Chinese arms procurer with sanctions for buying advanced Russian weapons
The Trump administration slapped China’s Equipment Development Department – the country’s leading arms acquisition body – with penalties on Thursday. Beijing’s decision to purchase Russian Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missile system drew Washington’s ire. The US stressed that Moscow is in fact is the “ultimate target” of the restrictions.
The US’ measures will not, however, affect Sino-Russian strategic cooperation, which will only further grow, Geng stated.
The latest punitive measures appear to be nothing but an instrument to shield US financial interests.
“Sanctions are used as a weapon of unfair competition — all of this we perfectly remember from the situation with the Nord Stream 2,” Senator Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian Upper House Committee for International Relations, said.
The punitive measures are part of China-related “hysteria,” over Beijing’s ever-growing economy, which is currently sweeping Washington, author and historian Gerald Horne believes. Speaking to RT, the analyst said the US is well advised to halt the aggressive approach to avoid unpredictable consequences.
“If this particular escalation on Washington’s part continues then it’s no telling what the ultimate result will bring,” Horne told RT, adding that both Washington and Beijing would be affected by the consequences.
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Beijing’s furious response comes amid a raging trade war kicked off by Washington. US President Donald Trump decided to hit Beijing with tariffs, claiming there was unfair competition and intellectual property theft by China. The escalation has already resulted in reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars-worth of goods and open disputes at the WTO.
In another move, the US reportedly ordered Chinese official state-run news agency Xinhua and the China Global Television Network (CGTN), to register as foreign agents under the Nazi-era Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).