The most important backdrop to this year’s sessions in Beijing, which had an unprecedentedly stern atmosphere, was that Xi Jinping had lost all hope in the Biden administration. So, in a sense, this was a meeting where Xi’s China formally declared war on Biden’s America. The latest turning point in U.S.-China relations was, in fact, when Biden finally spoke with Xi for the first Time since he took power as the two men’s top leader. Sources say Xi Jinping accounted for about an hour and a half of the two-hour-long call. The biggest takeaway for the two men, it is feared, was the personal validation of their respective judgments formed prior to the call that there was no possibility of reversing the U.S.-China confrontation after the global scourge of the Wulong virus and Xi’s complete refusal to take any responsibility for it. According to reports, Xi told Biden that giving in on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan would mean stepping down, and Biden responded that he would not be president if he abdicated his U.S. leadership responsibility for human rights. This is reminiscent of what Deng Xiaoping said to Margaret Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher).
Of course, both Xi and Biden understand that there is no turning back from the U.S.-China confrontation, but it is not time for a hot war either. We have known for a long time that Xi had the option of an over-the-top war, while Biden chose the “high-tech siege war” against China by the “Eight-Power Alliance”. This invisible war is already underway in a “tense and orderly” manner, with no illusions about each other, but no desire to let the situation get out of hand. For all those who are familiar with history and understand the current situation, they should be able to feel that this is a heavy historical moment. But the wonder of modern technology is also that the vast majority of those involved in the war can return to some sort of “peaceful” environment after work and continue their daily lives.
The confrontation between China and the U.S. and the West as a whole does have similarities to the Cold War, but in terms of the state of China’s rulers and people, I feel it is more like the Boxer Rebellion. The Cold War was a full-scale confrontation and competition between two social ideals and institutions, with clear-cut barriers and unified formations, and without many interests involved, while the Boxer Rebellion was a time when the Qing government and the nation were already deeply involved with the West, and it was the multiple crises arising from the clash of Chinese and Western values and cultures highlighted in this interaction that were reflected in the power struggle at the top of China, where the fate of the nation was abducted by one person. Although there were many people of understanding in the dynasty, all found themselves with little room for action. Bureaucrats and people alike are confused about the future, while many are infected with anti-Western sentiment. In terms of comparative numbers, I believe that there are probably many more officials and civilians in China today who have similar xenophobic tendencies as the Boxers did back then. In other words, what we are witnessing is a modern, high-tech “Boxer Rebellion” movement.
According to media reports, the U.S. National Security Council on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) recently submitted a 756-page report to Congress acknowledging that the United States is lagging behind in key areas of artificial intelligence and recommending that the federal government prioritize accelerating the pace of innovation in this area by investing $40 billion. field of innovation, invest $40 billion to boost the field, and make a major effort to develop skilled talent. This is clearly not an isolated move, but rather a piece of a larger chess game that Biden is playing against China. It is not hard to imagine that he will use the confrontation with China as an important motivating mechanism to unite the American society and promote the reconstruction of the United States. I believe that this approach will not change no matter who is in power or which party is in power.
What does this stance that the U.S. is setting up mean for China’s domestic politics? My view is that it is good for Xi Jinping’s efforts to remain in power for a long time. Because Xi can see from this posture that the mainstream U.S. elite does not want to subvert his personal power, but rather is focused on long rebuilding a long-term competitive advantage. But Xi will also have a bitter pill for the U.S. and the West to swallow: Xi’s political abuse and physical persecution of Hong Kong people, and the genocide of the Uighur people in Xinjiang.
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