US sanctions on China for aiding Russia could be counterproductive, advisory panel is told
- Further punishment of Beijing may only push Chinese further into Moscow’s camp, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission is warned
- China would see any attempt to hinder its access to imported oil and gas as a threat to national security, expert says
Experts warned on Thursday that imposing Ukraine-related sanctions on Beijing could backfire, pushing China and Russia closer together and weakening America’s influence abroad.
Speaking before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a government advisory panel, witnesses emphasised how China’s energy insecurity could affect its response to such measures.
Given China’s dependence on oil and gas imports, Beijing would see any attempt at hindering its access to foreign fossil fuels as a direct threat to its national security, said Emily Meierding, an assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. She pointed to the “uneven track record” of sanctions and how they would push China to find ways to avoid them.
“The result could be a network of petro pariahs – major oil importers and exporters targeted by the United States that create a parallel energy trading system that isn’t vulnerable to US sanctions,” she said. Instead, she recommended finding a way to “engage China constructively on this conflict” without threatening their energy security.
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What China could gain, and lose, in the Ukraine-Russia crisis
Edward Chow, senior associate in the Energy Security and Climate Change Programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, pointed out Beijing’s longer-term energy strategy.
“Although China and Russia’s energy interests converge in the short run, they diverge in the long run with China’s energy transition away from fossil fuels for both environmental and national security reasons,” he said.
