Direct News: Vice President Wang Qishan, when meeting with the US representative in Beijing today (29th), particularly stressed that the common interests of China and the United States are greater than their differences, and Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng also said in his online speech yesterday that the enemy of the United States is the virus and not China, as long as there is cooperation, everything is possible, Mr. Guan, what do you think of the intensive shouts of the Chinese high level on Sino-US relations?
Special Commentator Guan Yao: Where China-US relations at a crossroads are headed is indeed the world's number one diplomatic concern and affects the nerves of the international community. Xi Jinping's position and willingness to develop Sino-US relations were very clearly stated in his congratulatory message to Biden's election as US president, and promoting the healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations is not only in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but also the common expectation of the international community. It is hoped that the two sides will uphold the 14-character spirit of non-conflict and non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, focus on cooperation, manage differences, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-US relations.
Wang Qishan's video speech today is not a secret, in the long run, there are still complex games in many fields between China and the United States, and there are contradictions and common interests between the two sides, but his judgment is that the common interests of China and the United States are greater than the differences between each other, which has also been included in the headline of the current news by the website of Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao. Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng used the four Rs in English to explain the four expectations for the development of Sino-US relations, which boil down to one point, which I personally believe is the fifth R, that is, Reset, the so-called restart. Whether Sino-US relations can be restarted and how to restart lies in whether the two sides can focus on cooperation and effectively manage differences. In the era of Trump's administration, especially in the later stages of his administration, Sino-US cooperation has become an impossible task, if differences are allowed to continue or even escalate, and cannot be effectively controlled, Sino-US relations will inevitably derail or even "decouple". Now that Biden is in power, it undoubtedly provides an opportunity for the resumption of Sino-US relations, and Le Yucheng said that as long as there is cooperation, everything is possible, and it also creates opportunities and possibilities for managing differences. China's high-level officials have made intensive statements and shouted, released goodwill and expressed their will on the development of Sino-US relations, hoping that the new Biden administration will get this.
Of course, as far as the US side is concerned, the destructive inertial force is still strong, and today CNN looks forward to the new Biden administration's strategic shaping of China, and also lists three so-called "Pacific military trigger points", namely the so-called Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and the East China Sea, we also see that the Biden ruling team has set sail for more than a week, and there is no lack of tough positions on sensitive issues in Sino-US relations, and even the New York Times reported yesterday that Blinken took over as Secretary of State, and also deliberately emphasized in the headline that he will maintain the so-called tough stance on China. Therefore, we must also closely observe Biden's China policy that is being shaped.
Straight News: What is your comment on UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, hoping that Sino-US relations can be restarted and attract widespread attention?
Special Commentator Guan Yao: In my comments yesterday, I specifically mentioned that whether or not Sino-US relations can be restarted and how to restart them can be described as the number one agenda in the international diplomatic circles, because based on the size and influence of the two big countries, the spillover of Sino-US bilateral relations covers almost the entire world and concerns the vital interests of too many people outside China and the United States. Then the Unproven Secretary-General's rather rare statement also used the English reset that is, the restart of the term, emphasizing the expectation to see the resumption of Sino-US relations, which undoubtedly expressed the voice of the whole world.
Of course, it is precisely because of the large size of Sino-US relations that the secretary-general's words are the voice of the heart, and this statement has been widely quoted by the international media, and today's Reuters telegram also specifically talked about a background, that is, the tension between the two major powers in the United Nations headquarters last year was close to "a boiling point", the so-called "boiling point". I have also noticed that when the US ambassador-elect to the United Nations heard the appointment in Congress on Wednesday, although there were anti-China senators inducing questions, she openly threatened that as long as she becomes the ambassador, maintaining a tough line on China within the United Nations will be the first priority, the so-called first priority. If the "boiling point" of tension between China and the United States continues, then the United Nations will obviously be unsustainable in promoting international governance in the international community, and even if the secretary-general wants to sit firmly, it will be under pressure.
Guterres looked forward to the prospects of Sino-US relations when Biden first entered the White House, and there is also a personal background, last week he has officially sent a letter to the rotating president of the Security Council and the president of the United Nations General Assembly, expressing his hope to run for re-election, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also actively stated in response to this question, saying that China believes that Mr. Guterres is the next UN Secretary-General. Therefore, from the perspective of expounding political views and seeking re-election, Guterres has greater expectations for the resumption of Sino-US relations. In particular, the secretary-general pointed out that China and the United States have different understandings of human rights views, but climate change is an area where breakthrough cooperation can be broken, and in fact, Biden's special climate envoy, Kerry, has previously released positive signals on climate cooperation. In my opinion, whether it is climate change and the fight against the epidemic, it is an area where China and the United States can cooperate, and it is also in line with the expectations of the international community, and the key now lies in how to break the situation.
Straight News: McCarthy, the minority leader of the US House of Representatives, flew to The Mar-a-Lago Manor in Florida to meet with Trump, and both sides stated that the talks were very good, what does this mean for Trump?
Special Commentator Guan Yao: Last week, before leaving Washington on Air Force One for the last time, Trump gave a farewell speech saying that I would return in some form. McCarthy flew all the way to Mar-a-Lago, and I said yesterday that I was going to kowtow to the former president, so this is indeed a landmark event, which means that Trump has fully returned to politics, and in the Republican Party, he is still the boss, even if he faces a second impeachment trial in the Senate. Judging from the statements issued by McCarthy and Trump, the emphasis on the talks was "very good and cordial", and the talks were very good and the talks were very interesting, which is typical Trump-style language. The statement said the two sides covered a wide range of topics, focusing on next year's midterm elections.
After last year's election, the Republican Party, although still a minority party in the House of Representatives, snatched 10 seats from the Democrats, and McCarthy's goal is to win another 15 seats in the midterm elections, which may complete the reversal. McCarthy is obviously betting on the former president and his "Sichuan fan" support group, so you can see his statement with all kinds of words, touting the so-called "historic achievements" of the Trump administration, Trump's personal support has never been as high as it is now, and the value and significance of his endorsement support are far better than other clouds. Then some people may ask, the leaders of the House of Representatives have gone to Mar-a-Lago to visit the docks, so why did the minority leaders of the Senate not go? McConnell has broken with Trump, he has not spoken to Trump for more than a month, and McConnell is also one of the party leaders who advocate republicans and Trump cutting and even cleaning up the portal, but apparently, the effort to clean up the portal has failed.
Trump may poison the party, but Republicans have decided they need him, and while Trump is poisoning the whole party, the Republican Party confirms that it needs him. Another clear signal for the Republican Party to confirm the need is that the Republican convention to be held in April has invited Trump to speak at the conference, and the conference is held near Florida, and the conference is also considering inviting other Republicans who are interested in participating in the 2024 election to speak, so this will be another window of time to observe Trump's political trends and campaign layout. It can be expected that Trump's Florida Marsee Estate will become the new power center of the Republican Party, and more and more Republicans will come here to kowtow to the docks like McCarthy.