Joint military talks between USA and China have been suspended in protest against a U.S. decision to sanction a Chinese military agency and its director for buying Russian fighter jets and a surface-to-air missile system. The Chinese military denounced the sanctions by expressing “strong indignation and resolute opposition”, as a defence ministry spokesperson told state-run news agency Xinhua.
The plans with the postponement of talks between the US and the Chinese military officials have been set for the next week. On 20th September, the U.S. State Department had imposed sanctions on China’s Equipment Development Department. The sanctions were posed on the military branch responsible for weapons procurement and was carried out after it engaged in “significant transactions” with Rosoboron export, Russia’s main arms exporter.
The mobile S-400 deal which took place included batteries, radars, a control system, and missiles with a range of up to 250 miles (402 km), was first deployed in Russia in 2007 and is considered Moscow’s most effective defence against aircraft, missiles and drones. Russia has deployed S-400s in Syria, according to official Russian news media, and U.S. officials have been discussing the interest of other nations, particularly NATO ally Turkey, have expressed in buying the system.
The Trump administration also added 33 people and entities associated with the Russian military and intelligence services to a blacklist. Twenty-eight of the new names have been indicted by US Special Counsel, who is looking into the Russian involvement I the 2016 elections.
Three days before the sanctions were announced, Trump had announced 10% tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese products, which will take effect on Monday, significantly widening the scope of a trade war which is about to ensue.
These tariffs are expected to rise to 25% on January 1st. Following the implementation of 25% tariffs placed on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports in July and August, which Beijing met with equivalent duties on the same amount of US goods previously.
On the deterioration in the US-China relations, trade talks have also broken down, which threatens the entirety of the two-way trade as Trump has threatened ‘to hit’ every Chinese import with ‘punitive’ import duties if Beijing continues to respond with the already existing measures and conditions.