Blinken Visits China, May Day Stirs Workers’ Rights Concerns, the U.S. Resumes Ukraine Aid, and More

The World Next Week

Council on Foreign Relations

Politics, News, News:politics

4.6 • 845 Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2024

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Secretary of State Antony Blinken wraps his second visit to China as tensions mount over Beijing’s military support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and ongoing threats in the South China Sea; International Workers’ Day on May 1 comes at a time of revived labor activism over wages and inequality; and U.S. President Joe Biden approves a $61 billion foreign aid package providing critical military assistance to Ukraine, potentially improving the situation on the ground in the war with Russia. Mentioned on the Podcast “2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State “Global Military Spending Surges Amid War, Rising Tensions and Insecurities,” Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Max Boot, “Weapons of War: The Race Between Russia and Ukraine,” CFR.org For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/blinken-visits-china-may-day-stirs-workers-rights-concerns-us-resumes-ukraine-aid-and-more

Transcript

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0:00.0	In the coming week, Secretary of State Blinken wraps his second visit to China.
0:06.0	International Workers' Day comes at a time of renewed labor ferment, and the U.S. resumes military aid to Ukraine.
0:12.0	It's April 25, 2024 in time for the world next week. I'm Bob McMahon.
0:28.0	And I'm Carla and Robbins.
0:29.6	So Carla, Secretary of State Blinken, as we speak, is wrapping up, I think, a first day of a multi-day trip to China.
0:36.6	There is an enormous amount on the
0:38.2	agenda, but let's kick off with one of the areas of great concern. The Biden administration has
0:43.0	voiced a lot of concern about the role of China in the support of Russia and its war with Ukraine.
0:49.1	At the same time, there are tensions mounting over surging Chinese exports, not just with the U.S., but Europe in particular.
0:56.3	And there are concerns about provocations that China has been making in the South China Sea, especially towards the Philippines, all of which could pose security risks that echo and reverberate beyond the region.
1:07.6	So, Carlo, what should we be looking for in this quite packed set of meetings?
1:10.8	Listen, they're just trying to make sure things don't spin out. beyond the region. So, Carlo, what should we be looking for in this quite packed set of meetings?
1:16.2	Listen, they're just trying to make sure things don't spin out of control on both sides.
1:22.8	After some very tense months of no contact following, you remember, Nancy Pelosi's August 22 trip to Taiwan, and then there was the February 23, spy balloon shootdown over the U.S., Washington, and Beijing,
1:29.4	have been determined that at least they're going to have regular communications,
1:33.8	which doesn't guarantee that they're going to be nice communications, but at least they're talking.
1:38.5	So this is a three-day visit. It's Tony Blinken's second since June. President Biden spoke with
1:43.7	China's President Xi by phone earlier
1:45.9	this month. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was there a couple of weeks ago. That was her second
1:50.7	trip since last summer. And last week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had a video conference with
1:55.5	his counterpart. And that was a meeting that the Chinese had long resisted. so as they like to say, at least they're talking.
2:02.8	Even then, reality and politics on both sides keep getting in the way.
	...

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