US: If China won’t act, we will – Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Washington DC will act if China does not stop sending parts to Russia which fuel its assault on Ukraine.

Speaking to the BBC in Beijing, the US’s top diplomat said he had made clear to his counterparts they had to stop selling key components to Moscow.

He would not be pushed on what measures Washington DC was prepared to take if not.

But Mr Blinken was also keen to stress progress had been made in some areas of cooperation.

His visit forms part of a significant increase in dialogue and diplomacy – however frosty – between these rival powers as they attempt to put relations on an even keel after a period of immense tension last year.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by China’s claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea, and US export bans on advanced tech. They were further damaged by a row over a spy balloon last February.