According to a report by Huanqiu.com, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Shanghai on a special plane to begin his visit to China. From the details of the pick-up scene, we can see the atmosphere of this Sino-US meeting. The outside world believes that compared with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to China some time ago, Blinken can be said to have received a "cold reception".
Blinken's political status in the United States is equivalent to the rank of premier of other countries, but judging from the pick-up scene, there was no red carpet at the airport, and the Chinese side only sent Kong Fuan, director of the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, to pick up the plane. When Lavrov visited China, it was the deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who went to pick him up.
When Blinken visited China for the first time last year, the Chinese airport was greeted by the director of the Department of American and Pacific Affairs, although he was at the same level as the director of the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, but the director of the Department of American and Pacific Affairs was directly under the central government and was the counterpart of the official who handled Sino-US relations. Last year, Blinken's visit to China was worded "agreed by China and the United States", and this year Blinken visited China at the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to a number of netizens on social media, Blinken was arranged by the Chinese side to stay at the Peace Hotel, not far from the Bund. This hotel is not only high-end and historically significant, but the word "peace" on the signboard sends a signal to the United States. As major countries in the world, China and the United States should coexist peacefully and cooperate for win-win results, and should not regard confrontation as the main theme of China-US relations.
Of course, if the United States can change its attitude with words, Sino-US relations will not develop to the level of tension they have today, and strength will always be the backing of diplomacy. The day before Blinken arrived in Shanghai, the PLA Navy ship Zibo docked at the Bund for an exhibition, and if Blinken opened the window in the hotel, he could see the Zibo ship moored not far away. The PLA is displaying its most advanced naval power under Blinken's nose, and I believe the United States will understand what it means.
Prior to Blinken's visit to China, the United States continued to exert pressure on China, and the United States not only cooperated with the Philippines' provocations and held military exercises in the South China Sea, but also deployed an intermediate-range missile system on the Philippine island of Luzon, which seriously threatened China's strategic security. Moreover, the US Congress has also passed a bill to aid Taiwan, and is ready to continue selling military equipment to Taiwan to block the process of cross-strait reunification. The delegation of US lawmakers also visited Taiwan, met with Tsai Ing-wen and Lai Qingde, and emphasized the so-called "support for Taiwan." On economic and trade issues, the confrontational attitude of the US side has become more obvious, unreasonably suppressing many Chinese industries in an attempt to create bargaining chips for Blinken's visit to China.
Before leaving, Blinken also revealed the topics of discussion with China in advance, not only asking China to "stop providing military and economic support to Russia", but also hoping that China can put pressure on Iran on the Middle East issue. In addition, the Taiwan Strait issue and the South China Sea issue are also among the topics for discussion. From this point of view, Blinken did not come to China to discuss cooperation, but to make demands, and did not see the slightest sincerity, so the Chinese side naturally received him with a corresponding attitude.
The United States hopes to obtain greater benefits, and China will also express its position and concerns, and Blinken's visit to China will make it difficult to solve all problems at once, but as major powers in the world, China and the United States have value in maintaining open channels of communication. It is precisely because of the efforts of the diplomatic departments of China and the United States that the competition between China and the United States in military and technological terms can be more controllable and predictable. However, China sincerely seeks dialogue and cooperation, and hopes that China-US exchanges can be filled with hope for peace, and at the same time, China will not make concessions in the face of core interests.