Bolton did not meet with Motor Sich, warned Ukraine of Chinese threat

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton did not meet with executives of the Ukrainian aerospace company Motor Sich amid reports that the U.S. administration opposed the strategically important company’s planned acquisition by a Chinese holding.

However, he did express the Trump administration’s concerns about the Chinese threat to Ukraine’s security in meetings with Ukrainian officials, Bolton said during a press briefing on Aug. 28.

Bolton arrived in Kyiv on Aug. 27, shortly after the Group of Seven summit in France over the weekend, to not only reiterate Washington’s strong support for Ukraine to the country’s new administration, but also to warn them about the threats posed by China to Ukraine’s defense industry and economy.

During his two-day visit to Kyiv, Bolton met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, National Defense and Security Council Secretary Oleksandr Danylyuk, Security Service of Ukraine Chief Ivan Bakanov, and soon-to-be ministers of defense and foreign affairs.

“We are worried about the loss of military technology to China,” he said. “We see, for example, that 5th generation Chinese fighter aircraft (Chengdu J-20) looks a lot like the F-35 (U.S. fighter jet). It’s because they stole it basically.”

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However, Bolton said he did not point fingers at specific Ukrainian-Chinese deals.

“It will be Ukraine’s sovereign decision,” he said at the press briefing. “We’ve laid out our concerns (to the government of Ukraine) about unfair Chinese practices (that are) threats to national security. Those are issues we discuss with all our allies.”

Another concern is China’s so-called “debt diplomacy” — the idea that through infrastructure projects, loans, and investment, China is in fact seeking to wield geopolitical influence.

China has been pursuing debt diplomacy “around the world, offering economic deals on seemingly favorable financial terms that turn out to be actually burdensome and onerous for the countries that get involved,” Bolton said.

A trade war between the United States and China, the two largest economies, has had stark consequences for the rest of the world. It was the key issue discussed at the Group of Seven summit — despite China not being a member of the group.

During the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk warned that the trade war could lead to a global recession, the Washington Post reported.

Bolton said the trade imbalance between the U.S. and China largely rests “on decades of China stealing intellectual property, engaging in forced technology transfers, discriminating against foreign businesses and investors in China.”