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After Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to the United States, may there be a new trend in China-US diplomacy? After the high-level meeting between China and the United States in October, the US media once again released the news, saying that the APEC summit is about to usher in the highest level of meeting, but the United States wants to get its wish, and China seems to have conditions...
The APEC summit in mid-November has become the focus of attention of countries around the world, and Wang Yi's visit to the United States some time ago has paved the way for the APEC summit at the top level. During the visit, Wang Yi even proposed: return to Bali and go to San Francisco.
However, there are still many obstacles to be overcome if the summit between China and the United States is to be realized. After Wang Yi's visit to the United States, the two sides are likely to negotiate extensively on various important details and reach agreement or compromise as much as possible.
There is an important figure involved in this, and he is Li Jiachao.
In addition to the well-known Taiwan issue and US chip sanctions, the main barrier before the APEC summit is Li Jiachao. As Hong Kong's chief executive, he was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2020, and the sanctions have not been reversed.
Notably, the U.S. Treasury Department accused Lee and 10 other officials of undermining Hong Kong's autonomy, restricting Hong Kong citizens' freedom of assembly and speech, and classifying Lee as a "Specially Designated Citizen" (SDN). The biggest problem with SDN is the difficulty of entering the U.S. and accessing U.S. entities.
However, this APEC summit was held in San Francisco, USA, and Li Jiachao was "shackled" imposed by the United States, so how should he participate in the APEC summit?
In 1991, Hong Kong has joined APEC, and in the name of "Hong Kong, China" to participate in activities, trade, according to APEC rules, Hong Kong, China must have representatives to attend the meeting, the organizer has the responsibility to invite members to attend, and Lee Jiachao is the best choice for Hong Kong.
This time, the United States, as the host, should respect the APEC charter and fulfill its responsibilities to ensure the smooth participation of representatives of all members, including Hong Kong. However, before Wang Yi's visit to the United States, the U.S. government's attitude had been very bad and it had never invited Li Jiachao to attend the meeting.
More U.S. media said that representatives of all countries participating in the APEC summit should abide by the laws and regulations of the United States. You must know that APEC is not affiliated with any country or region, and it is too hegemonic for the United States to override its own laws over the APEC summit.
It was not until October 30, after Wang Yi's visit to the United States, that a senior U.S. official on APEC summit affairs said that a few days ago, the United States had issued an invitation to all the leaders attending the meeting, and the "appropriate representatives" of the two leaders sanctioned by the United States were discussing.
One of these two is Li Jiachao, and the other is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In addition to the words, there is a high probability that the Li family will be rejected by the United States, and Hong Kong can only send another "suitable representative". However, what is interesting is that just 24 hours after the United States issued the announcement, news came from Hong Kong: it has received an invitation from the United States, the host of the APEC summit.
However, due to Chief Executive John Lee's other trip, he will not be able to go to the United States to attend the APEC summit in person, and Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will attend instead of him.
To put it simply, the United States compromised in order to remove the obstacles to the highest-level meeting between China and the United States, and chose to issue an invitation letter to the Hong Kong government. The Chinese side also took advantage of the slope to get off the donkey, claiming that Li Jiachao was on official business, and it was inconvenient to attend, and it did not embarrass the United States.
It can be seen that it is only through mutual compromise and consultation between China and the United States that such a situation has been brought about. Perhaps during Wang Yi's visit to the United States, he had already talked to the top level of the United States, especially Biden, about the sanctions against Li Jiachao.
It may be difficult to get the high-ranking United States to lift the sanctions, but in order to stabilize Sino-US relations, the United States chose to take a step back and give the invitation letter first. Behind this act is that China wants to see the United States' respect for Hong Kong's chief executive and the importance it attaches to China-US relations.
After receiving a positive signal from the United States, the Chinese side also generously gave the United States a face, although it was inconvenient for Li Jiachao to go, but "Hong Kong, China" still had officials to attend on his behalf, and more importantly, if Hong Kong was present, then China's top leaders may also arrive as scheduled, which is also what Biden expects.
In the current international situation, Biden's obsession with having China's top leader attend the meeting is most likely for the sake of his precarious approval rating. If China does not show up, the summit will inevitably fall into the desert, and Biden will not be able to talk to China face-to-face.
However, whether this APEC summit can be successful, Foreign Minister Wang Yi made it very clear: China-US relations cannot rely entirely on autopilot. The United States is willing to show sincerity, but it should not stop at the face-saving project, but should take this as a starting point and show more substantive sincerity.
Although the US concession this time is small, it is better than nothing, and it remains to be seen what sincerity the United States can show in the future. In particular, on the Taiwan issue, the Americans can only express their positions and promises, but never fulfill their speeches, and this will also be the biggest obstacle to Sino-US relations.