During her visit to China last month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Beijing businesses would face “significant consequences” if they were found to be helping Russia’s war effort.

And Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to renew the warning during his upcoming visit to the Chinese capital later this month.

The mere fact that Blinken is making the trip might be seen by some as encouraging, but ties between Washington and Beijing are tense and the rifts are growing wider.

From Russia and Ukraine to Israel, Iran and the broader Middle East as well as Indo-Pacific and trade issues, the US and China are on a series of collision courses that have sparked fears about military and strategic security as well as international economic stability.

Blinken “will raise clearly and candidly our concerns” during the talks starting Wednesday, a senior State Department official said.