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Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Florida) said the recent meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a sign that the two leaders were looking to coalesce their countries into a dictatorship axis. says there is.
Putin greeted Xi at a meeting in Moscow on Monday. Xi’s visit to Russia, which is scheduled to last until Thursday, will be his first visit to Russia since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
China’s foreign ministry has described Xi’s visit to Russia as an effort to facilitate a peaceful end to the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. But Waltz said Xi’s visit actually serves the long-term goal of strengthening partnerships and power ties between Russia and China.
“In the short term, I think China is trying to intervene in the Ukraine conflict and establish itself as a peacemaker.
“But I think in the long run, we’re actually building more authoritarian ties with China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. [Chinese Communist Party] As the leader of the herd and the leader of the Axis of Evil.”
“Unlimited” partnership
China and Russia do not have a formal military alliance, but the two announced an “unrestricted” partnership with Russia weeks before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Relations between China and Russia appear to have strengthened in the months since Russian troops entered Ukraine.
“I think this ‘No Limit Partnership’ should be taken seriously,” Waltz said. “So Russia and China have a joint agreement to put a manned station on the moon by the end of this decade, which will have military and economic impact on their oil and gas sector. .”
“And, of course, the armed forces we increasingly see both China and Russia conducting joint military exercises. We’re getting into stuff. And we should take a tougher stance on that.”
US vigilance
US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken welcomed China’s support for peace talks in Ukraine in February, but while the US and NATO sent weapons systems to Ukraine’s side, China’s ties to the conflict have increased. also warned against supplying weapons to the Russian side.
Waltz explained that China’s apparent support for peace talks in Ukraine is an effort to “cover up” China’s desire to claim control over Taiwan, including through the use of military force.
Brinken himself argued that China’s efforts to facilitate peace talks in Ukraine were intended to help solidify Russia’s territorial gains since the invasion began.
“A call for a ceasefire that does not include the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory would effectively be an endorsement of Russia’s ratification of conquest,” Blinken told reporters on Monday. “The world must not be fooled by tactical moves by China and other countries-backed Russia to freeze war on its own terms.”
Some Western officials have urged the international community to reject a peace deal that would involve Ukraine ceding territory to Russia.
The Russian side has rejected Ukraine’s offer for peace talks involving Russian troops and leaders facing war crimes tribunals.
Growing skepticism about China
Mr. Waltz said stronger ties with China and Russia were just one of the concerns of the United States.
Lawmakers also expressed concern about China’s efforts to spy on and influence Western users, including through the popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok.
Waltz said he fully supports the US ban on TikTok, and compared the app to a Chinese high-altitude balloon that flew over the US last month, suggesting the aircraft was not spying on the US. There was a concern that
“It’s like a Chinese spy balloon on top of 100 million American cell phones,” says Waltz.
“And you have to understand that it’s all passwords and financial information. Every keystroke, every search is stolen and accessed by the CCP. This is a massive data collection operation. It not only serves as a tremendous propaganda platform.”
Recent polls show that a growing number of Americans see China as the greatest threat to the United States.
Waltz said he thinks it’s a good thing that more Americans are skeptical about China, but those concerns are lagging on the Democratic side of the political corridor.
“I think it’s been limited to the Democratic side so far, and I hope that changes,” Waltz said.
Since taking office, President Joe Biden has said he wants to find some areas where the United States and China can work together, including tackling climate change. On the eve of his presidency, Mr. Biden said, “We cannot and must not return to the Cold War’s reflexive opposition and rigid bloc.”
The Biden administration has confronted its Chinese counterparts on other occasions, such as when a Chinese balloon flew over the United States.
In January, the House of Representatives voted to establish a special committee on strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The House formed a new commission with the support of all Republicans and his 146 Democrats, but 65 Democrats opposed forming the new commission.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts), who voted for the new CCP Strategic Competition Committee, told Politico that he supported the formation of the committee, but with some reservations.
“How [Republicans] It demagogues the issue and promotes conspiracy theories and xenophobia,” McGovern said.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) was one of 65 Democrats who voted against the creation of the new commission. In January, she told CNN she voted “no.”
from NTD news.
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