Beijing and Moscow team up to anger US

Yuris Paiders

For several weeks now, one of the most discussed international events in Latvia has been the concentration of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine. However, little attention has been paid to such displays of military power by China. Although East Asia is far away from us, it can still be considered a test of the ability of the United States to respond simultaneously on two sides of Eurasia. And if Moscow and Beijing do coordinate their efforts, it will be a major test of the US's ability to respond.

In recent weeks, China has rushed to conduct naval exercises on several occasions, officially announcing them just one or two days in advance. On March 28-29, an exercise was held in the South China Sea near the Philippine EEZ after the Philippines accused China of unauthorized activities in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). On April 4, the Chinese aircraft carrier LIAONING with a battle group approached Japan, that is, the islands of Okinawa, where US troops are also stationed. In addition, the incidence of violations by the Chinese Air Force of Taiwan's air defense identification zone increased, reaching a record 25 on April 12.

Along with its military activities, China has also intensified its political rhetoric against the United States and Taiwan. On March 26, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the United States of using its intelligence services and army to incite Uyghurs to secede from China (the United States accuses China of carrying out ethnic cleansing of Uyghurs living in China’s western Xinjiang region). Since late March, China has also regularly accused the United States of violating the One China Policy. This is due to the fact that the United States may plan to partially legalize official contacts with Taiwan, which contradicts the CCP's interpretation of the "one China policy." On April 13, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held a video conference with 20 American CEOs, essentially urging them to ignore the US political leadership and continue to work with Chinese companies.

The US reaction was immediate: on April 4, the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT aircraft carrier with a strike group arrived in the South China Sea, and on April 10 it was joined by a group of American landing ships. On April 11, both groups of ships participated in joint military exercises in the South China Sea near artificial islands built by China, some of which also have military bases in China. All this happened a week before US ships reacted in the same way to Russia's actions and sent their ships into the Aegean Sea.

The military-political escalation in East Asia has reached or even surpassed the level of the nineties. Despite the fact that the situation in the region deteriorated after the inauguration of Joe Biden, which was perceived as a "test of reaction" by the new US administration (which is not unusual in diplomacy), the current escalation began immediately after unsuccessful negotiations between the head of the Chinese Central Commission on Foreign Affairs Secretary Yang Jiechi and Foreign Secretary Wang Yi; and US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser. Upon returning to Beijing, both Chinese officials met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. If China and Russia coordinate their actions, it will pose a challenge for the Biden administration, whose response will determine how Moscow and Beijing will view the United States over the next four (or eight) years.