State Department chief threatens Xi Jinping with sanctions over Russian supplies

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has threatened the Chinese authorities with sanctions if Beijing does not stop supplying Russia with goods that allow it to rebuild its industrial base.

Source. This was reported by Politico.

During his visit to China, the Secretary of State met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

During the meeting, Blinken "made it clear" that President Joe Biden's administration was "running out of patience" with Beijing's refusal to stop supporting Moscow, the publication reports.

The Secretary of State also said that the dual-use goods supplied by China to Russia are increasing "the threat that Russia poses to European countries."

"We have already imposed sanctions on more than 100 Chinese companies. <...> We are fully prepared to take additional measures," Blinken said.

After the outbreak of the war with Ukraine, China became Russia's largest trading partner, replacing Western companies that left the Russian market due to sanctions.

In January-February 2024, Chinese goods accounted for 43% of all Russian imports, or $24.4 billion, according to the Gaidar Institute. About a third of Russia's exports went to China, mainly hydrocarbons, which accounted for 74% of all goods purchased by China from Russia.

The threat of secondary sanctions has already led to problems in Russian-Chinese trade: Chinese banks have begun blocking payments to credit institutions in Turkey, the UAE and other countries that the Kremlin calls "friendly".

As a result, in March, supplies from China to Russia fell by 14.2%, and exports of machinery (excluding cars) dropped by more than 15%.

For China, the Russian market remains secondary, with Russia accounting for only 3% of Chinese exports.

Background. The day before, it became known that China allowed a Russian ship carrying weapons to use its berth.