A few days ago, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Shanghai for his second three-day visit to China. At a time of tension between China and the United States, what will China and the United States talk about, how will they talk, and what results may be achieved?
Blinken arrived in China and stayed at the Peace Hotel without a carpet
Blinken's visit to China was invited by Foreign Minister Wang Yi and took the initiative to invite Blinken, which is China's sincerity to the US side.
But we are also prepared to talk about it, which can be seen from two details.
After Blinken arrived at the airport, the pick-up scene arranged by the Chinese side was deserted, and there was no red carpet, only Kong Fuan, director of the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, and Burns, the US ambassador to China, were present to greet him.
For a figure of Blinken's level, the scale of China's pick-up is not large, which is enough to show that this is a preventive shot given by China to Blinken in advance.
[U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken]
After picking up the airport, Blinken stayed at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai on the first day, and the scene showed that the motorcade that picked up the airport stopped at the entrance of the Peace Hotel, and the Chinese side sent Blinken to stay.
Among them, the four big characters "Peace Hotel" appear in the picture, which should not be a coincidence.
At a time when Sino-US relations are not too stable, how to stop losses and maintain stability is the top priority for China and the United States. The word "peace" in the "Peace Hotel" is China's bottom-line demand for the United States. That is, no matter how the relationship between China and the United States changes, China and the United States should find a way to live together in harmony on the basis of equality and mutual respect. Peace is a top priority.
From this point of view, on the one hand, China has no illusions and expectations for the United States, so China did not bother to receive Blinken.
On the other hand, the "Peace Hotel" demonstrates China's positive signal for the harmonious development of China-US relations. China wants peace, and it wants the United States to think the same.
【Blinken's Peace Hotel】
The United States has made frequent small moves against China, and it is really anxious
On the eve of Blinken's visit to China, the United States continued to make small moves against China in order to create more favorable bargaining chips for negotiations with China.
Launched an investigation into China's shipbuilding industry, smeared and slandered China's "human rights" issues, and strongly demanded that China and Russia interrupt cooperation.
The more frequent the U.S. moves on the surface, the more it proves that the U.S. is really in a hurry behind the scenes, and they need China's help.
For example, on the issue of Ukraine, whether it is to continue to support Ukraine or to promote peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the United States wants to use China's influence over Russia.
If the war continues, the United States, of course, will continue to support Ukraine while dragging Russia down. But with China in place, it will be difficult for the United States to accomplish this goal. That's why the topic of "aid to Russia" is hyped up every time.
[U.S. President Joe Biden]
Similarly, on the Middle East issue, the United States has lost full control, Israel is completely out of control, and Iran's frequent response will inevitably make the United States nervous, and China has a lot of influence on Iran.
Of course, although Blinken's visit to China will discuss the regional and international situation, it will also talk about the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait issue, and put pressure on China to ensure that China will make more concessions.
China has predicted all of this, but on the core issue, China has already made a clear response and will not budge.
Can't talk between China and the United States?
Speaking of which, many people will ask, this time Blinken's visit to China, China and the United States can not negotiate anything?
In fact, the most critical issue between China and the United States is how to ensure the stability of China-US relations and manage differences, which is why Biden has sent US officials to China many times.
Before Blinken's visit, the Chinese side revealed that China's visit to Blinken will focus on five goals: establishing correct mutual understanding, enhancing dialogue, effectively managing differences, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly shouldering responsibilities as a major country.
[Pick-up arranged by the Chinese side for Blinken]
It can be seen that China has no expectations for the United States, as long as it promotes the stable and positive development of Sino-US relations. The Chinese side believes that if China and the United States have good relations and the overall situation is good, they can talk about cooperation.
The United States, on the other hand, believes that it can restrain China in the high-tech field and force China to change its position by exerting pressure.
But in military exchanges and climate change, the United States cannot do without deepening cooperation with China, and in their minds, cooperation and pressure can be handled separately.
At present, China and the United States can only resolve this difference by strengthening dialogue and maintaining communication.
This is also the main message of Blinken's visit to China, and China does not have much expectations, as long as the differences are managed, further breakthroughs may face great difficulties.
China understands that the fundamental issues between China and the United States cannot be resolved through one or two visits or meetings, and that no matter what can be negotiated during Blinken's visit to China in the coming period, China-US relations will remain full of uncertainties in the long run.
Therefore, the bottom line given by the Chinese side during Blinken's visit to China is "peace" and goodness, and I wonder if the US side understands the profound meaning of China's arrangement. At the same time, Blinken's visit to China is an opportunity given by the Chinese side, and the United States has the opportunity to recalibrate the course of bilateral exchanges, but whether China and the United States can work together to face some difficulties in the future depends on the choice of the Americans.