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Broken emails
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Remove the sanctions or "bear the consequences".
This was the incredibly vague ultimatum China sent to the Trump administration on Friday, after Beijing was punished for buying Russian weapons.
Since December, Russia has delivered 10 Sukhoi Su-35 combat aircraft to China, as well as equipment related to the dreaded S-400 Moscow, a state-of-the-art missile defense system.
From the US point of view, the problem was that Beijing had bought these components from the Russian arms export agency, which was already on an American blacklist.
After months of deliberation, the United States on Thursday announced sanctions against the Chinese military agency that made the purchases, as well as its director.
Beijing's response came a few hours later.
US sanctions have "seriously violated basic norms of international relations and severely damaged relations between China and the United States," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday. "We urge the United States to immediately correct the mistakes and withdraw the so-called sanctions, otherwise the United States will have to bear the consequences."
He did not specify what these consequences might be.
So, what is really happening here?
At first glance, this might seem like a simple tit-for-tat exchange between two world powers that have been turning a blind eye in recent months. The reality is more complicated.
Although China is named in the measures, "Russia is the ultimate goal of these sanctions," said Thursday a senior official of the Trump administration.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the sanctions were "not intended to destroy the economy of third countries" like China.
The punitive measures are intended to punish "Russian malicious acts", added the official.
These "malicious acts" range from the annexation of Crimea by Russia and its participation in the Ukrainian and Syrian wars, to its interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The thinking of the United States is quite simple: by targeting countries that buy Russian weapons, the United States is trying to get money from Moscow by selling weapons: buy them at home and you could also be put on list black.
On Thursday, it was the first time that Washington sanctioned anything or anyone for dealing with blacklisted people under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as the CAATSA name.
"This is an important step," said the head of the administration.
With the same stroke of a pencil, the United States also blacklisted 33 other Russians who they said were working for or on behalf of Russian defense or intelligence services. Some of these people were among those indicted by Special Adviser Robert Muller for alleged interference in the US elections.
A message to Turkey?
All of this is happening in a context of changing relations between China and Russia.
Cooperation between these world powers seems to be strengthening, underscored by their joint participation in military exercises earlier this month, which has been presented by Moscow as the most important since the Cold War.
Named "Growler" by NATO, the S-400 has a powerful radar and can reach air targets up to 250 miles away. It can target stealth fighters, such as the Pentagon's latest F-35 fighter jet.
As if all this were not complex enough, the United States has also suggested that these sanctions are warnings for other countries, namely Turkey.
Turkey is a member of NATO and traditionally allied with the West. However, under the honor of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he moved closer to Russia recently, including ordering the same S-400s that landed China in hot water this week.
"We hope that at least this step will send a signal of our seriousness and perhaps encourage others to think twice about their own involvement in the Russian defense and intelligence sectors," said the official. l & # 39; administration.
Alexander Smith reported from London, Abigail Williams reported from Washington, and Dawn Liu from Beijing.
