Key Takeaways:
- The United States is worried about the growing influence of Moscow and Beijing
- While Russia is an immediate threat, the threat from China is more strategic and long-term
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — The Biden administration and its officials in Washington are growing increasingly worried about the influence their arch-rivals in Moscow and Beijing yield. According to reports, White House insiders have confirmed that US President Joe Biden will dwell on the various ways China and Russia threaten the United States during his upcoming State of the Union speech.
Russia and the US have long been at loggerheads with one another. However, the Kremlin’s year-long invasion of Ukraine has made it the biggest direct threat to world peace and Washington’s interests. Moscow has on more than one occasion threatened the United States with consequences, including nuclear war, for aiding Ukraine against it.
China, on the other hand, poses a more long-term threat. The recent fiasco involving the alleged Chinese spy balloon once again highlighted the tension between the two superpowers.
After Joe Biden ordered the US Airforce to shoot down the balloon last week, Beijing threatened Washington with consequences. While the US President will likely refer to the incident, he will not announce any firm actions against China.
However, Republican lawmakers have already mounted heavy pressure on him. They have demanded that Biden give clear-cut answers to the American people about the incident. Others have also demanded a strict response to the Chinese provocations.
Biden will not want his opponents to sense any weakness in his address vis-à-vis China. If they do, accusations will flow in a heartbeat.
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Russia is an “immediate” threat to US interest
The ongoing war in Ukraine has shown that the United States no longer yields the influence it once had. Only a handful of countries have rallied behind Washington’s calls to sanction Russia. A vast majority of those that joined are from the European Union.
While most countries have opted to remain neutral, several Governments are either explicitly pro-Moscow or are at least Russia-leaning. This shows that despite its actions, Kremlin still holds a growing influence in many parts of the world. This failure on Washington’s part to rally the global south behind it works in Vladimir Putin’s favor.
The sentiment comes as no surprise. When President Biden released his first national security strategy last October, he specifically highlighted the threat from Moscow.
“Russia poses an immediate threat to the free and open international system, recklessly flouting the basic laws of the international order today, as its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has shown,”
he wrote.
The sanctions have impacted the economy of Russia. However, Washington has indirectly helped Vladimir Putin fund his war of aggression. Studies have shown that the United States indirectly buys oil products from India made from refined Russian crude oil.
This is no different that what its friends in Europe have done. The EU ramped up its imports of gas from Azerbaijan. At the same time, Russian energy giant Gazprom signed a deal with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). Under the agreement, Russia will ship up to 1 billion cubic meters of gas to Baku.
Both Europe and the US are still importing Russian oil and gas. While the former does it indirectly from Azerbaijan, the latter relies on Indian private refiners for them.
China Remains the Top Threat for the US
While the threat from Russia is immediate, Washington is more worried about China. According to President Biden, China’s “economy and geopolitical influence grew rapidly” in the post-Cold War international order. Over the years, Beijing’s clout has only grown stronger.
The Biden Administration’s sentiments regarding China are no secret. Last year, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was clear in his press briefing.
“The People’s Republic of China is the only competitor out there with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, a power to do so,”
Lloyd Austin told reporters at the Pentagon in October 2022.
Lloyd also revealed that the US Government is so worried, that it has boosted its defense and attacking capabilities to respond to a possible Chinese aggression.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also shared similar sentiments about Beijing.
“The counterintelligence and economic espionage efforts emanating from the government of China and the Chinese Communist Party are a grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States,”
the FBI insists.
China has also threatened to invade neighboring Taiwan on several occasion. The United States has expressed its readiness to defend Taiwan’s independence if a war breaks out.
With Biden’s State of the Union speech only hours away, it remains to be seen how long he will dwell on the Chinese and Russian threat. Regardless of the outcome, it is clear, that Washington is worried about the growing influence of Moscow and Beijing.
