China has rebuffed repeated offers to share advanced vaccines as it battles a COVID-19 wave, a rejection that’s frustrated American officials concerned about a resurgence of the pandemic.
Washington fears this may be a deliberate effort to muddy the legal interpretation of the sea in ways that could suggest that Beijing regards it as an internal waterway.
Ukraine, Taiwan and human rights are among the many sore points in U.S.-China relations, and the two nations have also been jockeying for greater influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Washington has sought to boost its support in the region by reassuring nations they don’t need to join a coalition against China, drawing a stark contrast with Beijing’s threats.
Chinese military officials in recent months have repeatedly asserted that the Taiwan Strait isn’t international waters during meetings with U.S. counterparts.
Determined not to be distracted by the war in Ukraine, administration officials say China has provided an opening for the U.S. to solidify relationships in Asia.
The new draft emphasizes the importance of both Europe and Asia to U.S. national security interests, a shift from an earlier version that focused more squarely on China and Asia.
The top U.S. diplomat’s comments were unusually direct, and his public remarks mirror the administration’s classified China strategy, sources said.
The package under consideration would include foreign military financing of as much as $500 million.
U.S. officials see a weakened Moscow and bolstered European defense spending as giving Washington a freer hand to accelerate its long-term shift toward focusing on Beijing.
