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Blinken Says US Not Viewing Sanctions on Chinese Defense Minister as Obstacle for Contact

© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken  - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.07.2023
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - In June, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that the United States should lift its unilateral sanctions on China to revive military-to-military contacts and that Beijing never rejected communication with the United States.
The United States does not view sanctions against the Chinese military leadership as a stumbling block in maintaining contacts between the two countries' defense departments, calling Beijing's unwillingness to engage in such contacts "a political decision," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told American news channel on Sunday.
"Those sanctions don't prevent the [Chinese Defense] minister [Li Shangfu] from engaging or us engaging with him… it is a political decision, in effect, for China to decide whether or not he should be engaging," Blinken told the broadcaster.
He went on to say that Washington "made very clear" to Beijing that maintaining bilateral military-to-military contacts was "a responsibility" to avoid any miscalculations and wrong perceptions, according to the broadcaster.
"So, we'll see where China comes out on this," Blinken added, as quoted by the broadcaster.
Newly-elected Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu takes his oath during a session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 12, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.05.2023
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US-China Defense Chiefs Meeting Reportedly ‘Impossible’ Over Sanctions
Earlier, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said that there were no obstacles preventing open communication between the United States and China despite rising tensions between the countries.
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