At the invitation of Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China for the first time in 10 months from April 24 to 26. However, on the eve of Blinken's visit to China, the US side has thrown out various issues against China one after another, which makes people wonder whether the US side, which holds "diplomatic chips", really came with an attitude of equal communication.
1
On April 26, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, held talks with Blinken.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken:
"It's a pleasure to be here in China again, and I look forward to a series of candid and direct conversations to articulate the U.S. side's position in areas where we disagree, and I'm sure the Chinese side will do the same. ”
Lu Bobin, Fairbank Center for China Studies, Harvard University:
This is Blinken's second visit to China, less than a year after his visit to Beijing in June last year. The most important long-term issue for the United States remains the U.S.-China relationship, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China reflects China's importance in U.S. foreign policy. ”
When Blinken visited China on June 18-19 last year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that it was "agreed by China and the United States", implying that the Chinese side did not take the initiative to invite him. This time, it was "at the invitation of Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs". There are subtle differences in diplomatic rhetoric.
Zhu Zhiqun, Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Bucknell University:
"After the San Francisco summit in November last year, the relationship between the two sides has further improved, and in this case, the Chinese side has a more positive attitude towards Blinken's visit than last year, and invited him to come. ”
2
On April 24, Blinken took an executive flight from the United States and arrived in Shanghai, the first stop of his China trip, in the afternoon. Kong Fuan, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, and US Ambassador to China Burns greeted them at the airport on behalf of the Chinese and US sides respectively. However, the bare concrete floor at the site is a cause for concern.
On the way from the airport to the hotel, on the front of the motorcade, small flags of China and the United States fluttered in the wind. The flags of China and the United States were also planted at the entrance of the Peace Hotel, where Blinken was staying in Shanghai.
At the Peace Hotel, less than a kilometer away, the Shanghai North Bund International Passenger Transport Center, the PLA Type 052D missile destroyer "Zibo" docked here for the first time as one of the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy.
Blinken posted a short video on social media with the lights on the Bund in Shanghai. In the film, he said that he had just arrived in Shanghai, and in the next few days he would deal with issues that had practical differences with China, communicate clearly face-to-face, and look forward to a fruitful visit to China.
On April 25, Blinken met with Chen Jining, Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, and then went to NYU Shanghai, China's first U.S.-China joint research university, to meet with faculty and students.
After a one-day and one-night trip to Shanghai, on the afternoon of the 25th, Blinken moved to Beijing non-stop.
3
Recently, the wrestling between China and the United States has risen again and again, from the South China Sea dispute, to the just-passed aid to Taiwan, to the TikTok stripping bill, to the trade war.
The so-called issue of "China's assistance to Russia's arms industry" is one of the topics of greatest concern to the US side during this visit to China. Even before the start of the visit to China, the US side kept mentioning the notice.
In early April, before the end of her visit to China, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also issued a warning to Chinese banks and exporters about sanctions on Russia.
Xin Qiang, Director of the Center for Taiwan Studies at Fudan University:
"The United States is taking a high-minded attitude to make some demands, even coercions, to China. So how can you convince China that you have the sincerity to promote the improvement of bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in bilateral relations?"
Last year, the trade volume between China and Russia reached a record 240 billion US dollars, but some reports pointed out that this year's US sanctions pressure has affected the normal trade relations between China and Russia.
At present, Russia is advancing on the battlefield, the situation in the Middle East is facing out of control, and Blinken's trip to China urgently needs to find a "key" to balance the international situation and solve the problem.
4
Long before Blinken's visit to China, US officials revealed that he would discuss with the Chinese side on issues in Russia, Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and other areas. As for Blinken's visit, the Chinese side emphasized five goals, including establishing correct understanding, strengthening dialogue, and effectively managing differences.
Under the haze of the Palestinian-Israeli war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Biden administration's diplomacy has begun to become an important factor in influencing the election.
Blinken, who shoulders the diplomatic responsibility of the Biden administration, visited China with many urgent problems such as the chaos in the Middle East. However, some analysts pointed out that Blinken's trip also seems to highlight the differences between China and the United States on these issues.
In fact, long before Blinken's visit to China, the United States had already begun to make a "small calculation". Just as Blinken began his trip to China, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a huge foreign aid bill. In addition to military aid to Ukraine and Israel, the United States will also allocate billions of dollars to provide weapons to Taiwan, which will escalate the cross-strait situation.
Lu Bobin, Fairbank Center for China Studies, Harvard University:
"This bill is significant for Taiwan, as it is the first time that the United States has provided assistance to Taiwan, rather than allowing Taiwan to buy American weapons. ”
Zhu Zhiqun, Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Bucknell University:
"For the Biden administration, the year-end election is a top priority. The world is already chaotic enough, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the war between Israel and Kazakhstan, of course he does not want a new conflict in the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere. ”
However, the United States, which is ostensibly actively "seeking peace," added four additional military bases in the Philippines in early April this year, one of which is only about 400 kilometers away from Taiwan.
In mid-April, according to US media, the US military's new land-based missile system "Typhon" system has landed in the Philippines, which can be loaded with "Tomahawk" cruise missiles, etc., and its firepower radius can reach Guangzhou, Shanghai, the entire Taiwan Strait, and the military bases of the People's Liberation Army along the coast.
In his meeting with Blinken on April 26, Wang Yi made it clear that the US should not step on China's red lines concerning China's sovereignty, security and development interests.
5
In addition to launching the "301 investigation" against China again, US President Joe Biden has wielded a tariff stick against China, calling for China's import tariffs on steel and aluminum products to be increased to three times the current level. This also casts a shadow over Blinken's visit to China.
On April 25, Blinken visited the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai to meet with business representatives, and he said that China is the third largest trading partner of the United States and should ensure that the economic relationship between China and the United States is mutually beneficial.
However, at the same time, TikTok on the other side of the ocean is being chased and blocked by the U.S. government. On April 24, local time, Biden officially signed the TikTok stripping bill, which is known as "ban if you don't sell", forcing TikTok's Chinese parent company "ByteDance" to sell TikTok in the U.S. market or divest it within one year.
Lu Bobin, Fairbank Center for China Studies, Harvard University:
"Whenever American politicians want to criticize Chinese imports or Chinese technology, they use the word 'national security', but national security threats are usually related to the Pentagon and the Army, Navy, combat capabilities, etc., and it's hard to say that those videos of funny dogs or dancing videos are a national security issue, and TikTok can be isolated from any national security issue. ”
Although Blinken's visit to China does not seem to have an immediate effect on bridging the differences between China and the United States, Blinken also admitted frankly in a meeting with Chen Jining, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, that China and the United States need to maintain direct communication, properly handle differences, and seek space for cooperation.
As the US presidential election approaches, will the US make adjustments to its China policy, and how will the differences between the two countries be resolved?
Producer: Zhong Jinmei
Choreographer: Liu Chunya, Li Wenhui, Li Siyuan
Editor: Su Weijia