Same with Russian oil, why sanction India but not China? Bessembinder: China and India are different

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessembinder said in an interview that India has imported a large amount of Russian oil during the Ukraine-Russia war and made profits by buying low and selling high, which Washington cannot accept.

When asked why China, who also imports Russian oil, is not sanctioned, Bessembinder said the situation is completely different.

The difference Bessembinder mentioned actually boils down to one sentence: China is not easy to mess with, while India is a soft target.

On the surface, Bessembinder's meaning is that China has not engaged in arbitrage by processing and reselling, whereas India has refined a large amount of Russian oil and sold it to Europe.

But this is certainly not a technical issue, but rather an attitude issue — China has clearly stated from the beginning that it will not accept U.S. lectures, while India has always played the role of a collaborator. The more cooperation there is, the more demands are made, and finally, it is punished as an arbitrageur.

Therefore, Trump doubled the tariffs on India, while the U.S. pretends not to see that China still buys a large amount of resources from Russia.

The reason is not complicated: China's countermeasures are mature and highly symmetrical.

From economic warfare to chip warfare, from rare earths to falling digital products, every time the U.S. has targeted China, it has faced backlash in the market and industry.

India may speak tough, but it is heavily dependent on exports to the U.S. in multiple fields such as IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and agricultural products, leaving it little room to fight back in real negotiations.

The injustice India claimed actually includes a layer of "why only sanction me and not China." Even within India, some voices have suggested that China buys more, so it should be prioritized for sanctions.

But the U.S. clearly knows it can't beat China, so it vents all its anger on India.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1840957863846155/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.