Source: WeChat official account: Buyidao has been authorized to reprint
Writing/Sword Smiling
Antony Blinken will visit China in the next few weeks?
The big news exposed by multiple American media has caused waves in today’s international public opinion. But people’s mood is quite different from that when they learned that Antony Blinken was going to visit China in January this year. At that time, there were still hopes and expectations, but now it’s much more complicated.
In February, the United States unilaterally postponed Antony Blinken’s visit to China because of the “balloon incident” before his departure, which made Sino US relations fall from a low point to a new low. Afterwards, Chinese people no longer trust the United States.
On the 7th, the response of my spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was relatively flat or cold: “There is no information to provide.” Behind this short sentence, there are actually many intriguing aspects.
01
Bloomberg News first reported on the 6th that Antony Blinken was going to Beijing.
But the report clearly carries a familiar taste of the cooperation between mainstream American media and Washington in “letting the wind out” to the outside world.
Source of information, “anonymous informant”; The specific visit time is “not yet certain”, only vague “in the next few weeks”. CNN and other US media, who followed up quickly, claimed to have interviewed more US officials and “insiders”, but were unable to provide more details.
Since the news comes from the “official”, then go and seek confirmation from the official.
But Patel, deputy spokesman of the US State Department, kept his mouth shut at the press conference, saying that there was no itinerary to be announced by Antony Blinken. On the 6th, White House National Security Council Strategic Communication Coordinator Kirby also stated that he does not want to discuss this matter in advance. Since both of them moved out, the US has consistently stated:
Will ‘reschedule visits to China’ when conditions permit; You will see us discussing future visits in the near future
The word ‘general’ is very tricky, “commented a Weibo user on a report by American media.
The Voice of Germany website guessed that the specific time of Antony Blinken’s visit to China may not have been finally determined after comprehensively combing the reports of major American media, Reuters and other international media. Now the discussion is “still in the stage of private discussion”.
At this time, with the help of the American mainstream media, it is obviously to promote the progress of Antony Blinken’s visit to China.
But how effective can this conventional operation be? It’s hard to say.
On the afternoon of the 7th, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs answered questions about Antony Blinken’s visit to China at a regular press conference, saying, “I have no information to provide about your question.”.
What does it mean? I just ignore your words and immediately make the hype in the American media feel like it’s leaking.
At this point, they should reflect on why the highest diplomatic official in the United States fell into this awkward situation.
Led by Bloomberg, most of the major US media only mentioned that Brinken postponed his planned visit to China in February this year due to the “balloon incident”. But they never mentioned that the US has yet to provide evidence that it is a “Chinese spy tool”, nor admitted that the US should bear the main responsibility for the sudden cooling of relations with China.
In other words, the US Secretary of State is caught in a failed political drama directed and performed by the US side. In the following months, the US side has repeatedly expressed its hope to arrange Antony Blinken’s visit to China as soon as possible, but it still lacks sincerity.
As you can imagine, the repeated self criticism is boring.
A Reuters report on the 6th said that the visit to China this week by Kang Da, Assistant Secretary of State for Asia Pacific Affairs of the US State Council, and Bertrand, Senior Director of China Affairs of the National Security Council of the White House, was seen as a “step” towards Antony Blinken’s possible trip to China.
Kangda is the highest level official of the United States who has visited China publicly since the “balloon storm” in February. The Lianhe Zaobao of Singapore combed the relevant reports on the 6th and said that he had come to China in December last year, “paving the way for Antony Blinken’s visit to China”.
What about coming this time? There is a clear hint between the lines.
The reporter from the Lianhe Zaobao was quite meticulous and went to see the press release on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the talks between Kangda and his delegation and Chinese officials. He found that the two photos released with the press release showed that “the participants were smiling, showing a relaxed and friendly atmosphere”.
This is similar to the judgment of “both sides showing an optimistic tone” in the Reuters report.
But will this become a turning point for the US Secretary of State’s visit to China?
An American scholar admitted that it depends on how much sincerity the United States releases before things are finalized. China never refuses communication and dialogue, but always insists that such communication and dialogue need to have a practical effect on controlling and improving the relationship between the two countries.
02
A report by the Financial Times on the 7th referred to the possible visit of the US Secretary of State to China as a “symbol” of the latest progress in the resumption of high-level contacts between the two countries.
The report summarizes a series of interactions between the two sides in recent weeks:
Prior to the visit of Conda and his delegation to China, CIA Director Burns reportedly made a “secret visit to China” in May. Earlier, from May 10th to 11th, Wang Yi had just held a meeting with US National Security Advisor Sullivan in Vienna.
That meeting was an attempt to put communication between China and the United States back on track after the “balloon incident,” as revealed by a senior US official at the time.
In addition, Ambassador Xie Feng went to the United States to take office, and Chinese Commerce Minister met with US Trade Representative Dai Qi and Commerce Minister Remondo respectively during the APEC Trade Ministers’ Meeting in the United States, which was called by the Financial Times as “another sign” of progress in communication between the two countries.
But these developments are still mainly in the “signs” stage, and it is unclear to what extent they can play a role in easing Sino US relations.
Bloomberg, the first to report that Antony Blinken might visit China, added a special summary in the initial report on the 6th:
This potential visit comes at a time of renewed tension between the United States and China.
What is the ‘new tension’? Bloomberg believes that military relations between the two countries have not yet been restored. At the just concluded “incense ceremony”, the defense ministers of the two countries had no more interaction than shaking hands. In recent days, the US has been hyping up China’s interception of US ships and aircraft in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
On the 6th, the White House National Security Council’s Indo Pacific Affairs Coordinator, Campbell, was still criticizing China on this matter.
At an event of the Hudson Institute, an American think-tank, he said that the “dangerous navigation” of Chinese destroyers in the Taiwan Sea showed that it was necessary to take measures to prevent accidents from causing terrible consequences. Such rhetoric has made the statement of the US Indo Pacific policy “Tsar” that “communication with Beijing is improving” less positive.
Campbell “didn’t mention Antony Blinken’s visit,” Reuters added.
Similar actions by the US have caused the editors of the US Foreign Policy magazine to raise a soul question:
Why is Beijing unwilling to engage with Washington?
Some changes in the US language and stance, due to inconsistent words and actions or contradictions, cannot arouse Beijing’s interest and make Beijing believe it is sincere; The words and actions of the US continue to strengthen Washington’s interest only in rules that are in its own interest
In an article on the 6th, this American media attributed the obstruction of communication between the United States and China to a “cognitive mismatch”, but did not conceal their views on Washington between the lines:
In this way, it is not surprising that Beijing views the relevant rhetoric of the US side as false.
03
Before the news of Antony Blinken’s visit to China came out, CNN and other US media had a round of trial in mid May.
Several US officials told CNN that the Biden administration is considering arranging for senior officials to conduct a “series of possible visits” to Beijing in the coming months. At that time, the report said that the four senior officials under discussion were Antony Blinken, Finance Minister Yellen, Commerce Minister Remondo and President’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Kerry.
But almost a month has passed, and these visits are still being “planned”.
In another report by Bloomberg on the 6th, one thing is true:
Although China and the United States have had a series of diplomatic interactions in recent times, this has not truly thawed the relationship between the two countries. If these meetings are aimed at laying the foundation for a significant easing of relations between the two countries, then it looks more like there is still a long way to go.
Just as senior US officials were unable to enter China, many US media outlets noticed that Tesla founder Musk was warmly received in China.
Why is there such a contrast? The international scholar @ Victor Gao Channel made a special analysis in a video comment yesterday. General meaning:
For people like Musk who have developed friendship and investment, our country will always be open, ‘welcoming each other with wine’. It is not surprising that some hostile politicians, especially those who always want to use confrontational and Cold War thinking to engage in games, always want to interfere and infringe on China’s sovereignty, and refuse to visit them behind closed doors.
The logic behind whether the US Secretary of State can come this time is the same.
If you want to come, why do you come? I’m afraid the US needs to make it clear in advance. While cooperating with Washington’s efforts, some American media have said in advance that they “believe that the Political status of Taiwan will become one of the key issues”.
NBC said that Antony Blinken’s visit will be a “crucial” visit. It is expected that the two sides will talk about Political status of Taiwan, US high-tech restrictions on China, human rights and other issues:
The US Secretary of State will also take the opportunity to announce security guarantees for Asia Pacific allies such as Japan and South Korea
Maintaining dialogue and communication is certainly not a bad thing. But if, as these American media have said, the United States is still planning a visit to China by some senior government officials, including Antony Blinken, with this kind of plan to stir up trouble and create confrontation, then we really can’t mention much “interest”.
The “planned” visit to China by the US Secretary of State has become an embarrassing drama that has been ruined. China has no leisure and no obligation to cooperate with American politicians’ self deprecating and uninteresting performances.
When asked whether Antony Blinken will visit China soon, US Assistant Secretary of State Kangda, who is visiting Beijing, replied without comment: “Let’s wait and see”.
Indeed, we have to wait and see. Because “seeing or not seeing is a problem,” said a Chinese netizen.