Blinken, Yang Jiechi shout at each other
The change in the U.S. administration has raised concerns about the direction of diplomatic relations between the new U.S. administration and the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese Communist Party also seems to be interested in repairing the relationship between the two countries, which has hit rock bottom in recent years. In a public speech on Feb. 2, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, called on the U.S. side to “push China-U.S. relations back to the right track of healthy and stable development. However, just before Beijing took its stand, the U.S. released a different signal.
“China-US relations are at a critical moment …… Promoting China-US relations to return to a predictable and constructive track and building a model of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation among major powers is a common task facing China and the United States, and is also a universal expectation of the world.”
Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary General and Director of the Office of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs, said this at a meeting of the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCCR) on the morning of March 2, Beijing Time.
The word “cooperation” comes up frequently, but certain issues are “untouchable”
Yang Jiechi opened his remarks by criticizing the previous U.S. administration for “a series of wrong words and actions that interfered in China’s internal affairs and harmed China’s interests.” He then turned to the topic of “the interactions and friendship between the people of China and the United States are unstoppable” and mentioned the word “cooperation” 31 times in the rest of his speech.
At the same time, Yang Jiechi also showed his cards, asking the United States to “strictly abide by the one-China principle”, “respect China’s position and concerns on the Taiwan issue” and “stop meddling in issues related to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, such as Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang.
It is understood that this is the first time since the inauguration of President Joe Biden that the highest-ranking Chinese Communist Party diplomat has made a public statement on U.S.-China relations.
Wang Jian, a senior media figure in the United States, said that Yang Jiechi’s “hit-and-run” speech had three main purposes.
“The first is to set the tone for U.S.-China relations; the second is to seek a breakthrough in U.S.-China relations; and to propose conditions to the U.S. side. I don’t see anything new, because those positions are all set. Putting the blame on the Trump administration for the problems in U.S.-China relations and ‘pulling in’ the Biden Administration, which wants to return to the international political arena, and therefore proposing cooperation between the U.S. and China.”
Chinese Communist Party State Councilor Yang Jiechi (AP file photo)
Overconfident Communist China? The U.S. will continue to be tough on China
As a result of friction between the U.S. and China in almost every area, including trade and commerce, intellectual property, human rights, and media, during the Trump Administration, relations between the two countries have hit their lowest point in the past few years since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979.
A related report by Bloomberg and the Associated Press on February 2 suggested that despite the continued differences between the U.S. and China, Yang Jiechi’s speech reveals that Beijing is releasing signals that it wants to thaw relations with the United States. However, interference in the internal affairs of the Chinese Communist Party remains a “red line that cannot be crossed,” and the new U.S. administration intends to continue to press China on human rights issues.
Ye Yaoyuan, associate professor and chair of the Department of International Studies and Contemporary Languages at St. Thomas University, said in an interview that the Communist Party’s top brass believes that China is no longer in a position of overall strength and feels it has enough leverage to negotiate with the Biden administration, ignoring the fact that the U.S. seems unable to return to its past policy of appeasement of the Chinese Communist Party.
“(The CCP) ignores the U.S. bipartisan consensus to check and balance the Chinese Communist Party and the fact that the relationship between the U.S. and China has become a situation of power struggle for hegemony. The United States will inevitably grasp the core values of democracy and freedom, human rights, and a market economy to scrutinize the CCP.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken
U.S. Reveals Willingness to Repair? Tough Tone on Human Rights
It is worth mentioning that just before Beijing made its public statement, the new U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stated the U.S. position on various issues.
In an interview with MSNBC, Blinken blasted the Chinese Communist Party for criticizing Beijing’s lack of transparency in handling the Communist virus outbreak and reiterated that the Communist Party poses “the most significant challenge” to the United States. He further explained that there is confrontation and competition in the U.S.-China relationship, but there is also cooperation, and that it is important to deal with the Chinese Communist Party from a position of strength that includes alliance relations and active participation in international institutions.
On the internal affairs and sovereignty issues where the Chinese Communist Party has “drawn a red line,” Blinken also showed the U.S. cards, saying in a strong tone that the U.S. will defend its values and specifically mentioned that the Chinese government has “taken shocking actions” in Hong Kong and that the U.S. should provide assistance to those The U.S. should provide asylum to Hong Kong people fleeing political persecution.
And before that, Blinken also continued the Trump administration’s determination that the Uighurs in Xinjiang had been “genocided,” vowing to take action, while saying the U.S. would continue to provide military support for Taiwan and warning Beijing not to “invade” Taiwan and make a big mistake.
And as senior U.S. and Chinese officials continue to “shout” across the air, news broke earlier that President Joe Biden and Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jinping may meet at the World Economic Forum summit in Singapore this May at the earliest, renewing concern and speculation about the direction of U.S.-China relations.
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