Blinken is coming, the United States has made three moves in a row against China, and China has made it clear and will resolutely counteract. #军史观察团#
First of all, the first move is to continue to probe in the direction of the Taiwan Strait. A US antisubmarine patrol plane sailed through the Taiwan Strait again on 17 July, and in response to this move, the US military made a big fuss in its statement with the so-called freedom of navigation and other arguments, and the US military launched a similar operation a few months ago.
We speculate that there are two main reasons why the US military sent military planes to provoke in the direction of the Taiwan Strait at this time. First, the day before, the Chinese and US defense ministers finally held a phone call after 18 months. As long as the Chinese and US militaries can communicate smoothly, to a large extent, the United States is not worried that military action in the Taiwan Strait will cause China and the United States to miscalculate. Second, Lai Qingde's inauguration is approaching, but according to media reports on the island, the number of so-called foreign guests who will attend his inauguration ceremony this time has been greatly reduced, compared with Tsai Ing-wen's inauguration eight years ago, a decrease of as much as 40%. When the US military hyped up the passage of military aircraft through the Taiwan Strait, it specifically mentioned that this operation was to demonstrate the United States' commitment to the so-called free development of the Indo-Pacific region. Obviously, these words were deliberately made to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces on the island.
Second, the second move is to escalate the fire on the South China Sea issue. Recently, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has completely stopped pretending, admitting that the Philippines allowed the US military to add four new military bases in the Philippines last year in order to protect the Philippines and target China, hinting that the US military will take decisive action if China and the Philippines misfire in the direction of the South China Sea in the future.
Prior to this, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines had just solemnly stated its position and demanded that the Philippines must tow away the broken ship at Ren'ai Jiao as soon as possible. Marcos's statement is obviously a tough response to China. Marcos's confidence should mainly come from two aspects, namely the recent trilateral summit between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, and the deployment of medium-range missiles by the US military in the Philippines. When Marcos saw that U.S. President Joe Biden personally reaffirmed his defense commitment to the Philippines and put relevant statements into action, he naturally had more confidence in confronting China in the South China Sea. After all, according to the hype of the US media, these medium-range missiles deployed by the US military are enough to hit China's coastal cities. We can understand that Marcos's recent clamor is a fox and a fake tiger.
Finally, the third move is to continue to talk about the so-called "overcapacity" of Chinese products. U.S. President Joe Biden personally stepped down and threatened to impose tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. At the same time, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative also pointed the finger at China's logistics and shipbuilding industries. Considering that the U.S. election is approaching, the Biden administration's move on Chinese products at this time must also have the purpose of imitating Trump to pull votes.
Although the above-mentioned tricks used by the United States against China have different purposes. But if these developments are combined with Blinken's visit to China, they can actually be seen as bargaining chips prepared by the United States for Blinken.
On the one hand, although the United States and China held a phone call at the highest level earlier this month, the United States announced Blinken's upcoming visit to China in a high-profile manner. However, the Chinese side has never given a letter on when it will come. However, with the escalation of the situation in the Middle East and the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland, it is clear that the United States cannot wait. By showing these chips in advance, the US side is quite trying to force China to respond quickly.
On the other hand, the United States still has many unreasonable demands that China wants to accede to. For example, on the issue of Russia and Ukraine, the US State Department has hyped it up in advance, and they are very worried about China's so-called help Russia to rebuild its defense industry. The U.S. side believes that some of the weapons that the Russian army has put into the battlefield are produced by Chinese materials, and Blinken will express his concern to China in this regard. On the Middle East issue, the US has passed a bill against China's purchase of Iranian oil, wielding the stick of sanctions against relevant Chinese institutions. The purpose of the US is obviously to further pressure China to exert its so-called influence on Iran.
However, these tactics of the United States are obviously ineffective. Whether it is the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, or the so-called "overcapacity" issue, China has made it clear that it will resolutely counter it. While the United States and the Philippines have stepped up their military ties, we have also engaged militarily with Cuba. During the phone call between the Chinese and US defense ministers, the Chinese defense minister has stated that he will not let the connivance and support of external forces for "Taiwan independence" go unchecked. Therefore, with regard to the high-profile passage of US military planes in the Taiwan Strait, the PLA resolutely took action to follow and supervise. As for China-US economic and trade issues, China's Ministry of Commerce has also made clear its resolute attitude, and we will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend our rights and interests. The United States has gone one step further, and our thunderous countermeasures will also be done as it says.
In short, although maintaining contacts and dialogues at all levels between China and the United States has a positive effect on the stability and development of bilateral relations, the premise is that the United States cannot always proceed from its own interests and demand that China act in accordance with the requirements of the United States. China has no intention of replacing the so-called hegemon, but at the same time, we will never accept the hegemonic approach of the United States.