-
程靜、許競之:美副國務卿訪華需拿出誠意,如果想來上課中國不吃這一套
最后更新: 2021-07-23 09:40:10(英文版原文發表于《南華早報》)
As the No 2 US diplomat Wendy Sherman kicks off her Asian trip this week, no one has completely ruled out the possibility that she will visit China.
Even before her trip, signals were sent out on several occasions hinting at a high-level engagement between the United States and China. However, whether it is White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell’s expectations of a meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, or US national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s suggestion of a Biden-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, China has yet to say yes.
“Of course we hope to resume dialogue, but it depends on whether the US is sincere,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, when asked whether there would be a high-level meeting between China and the US this year.
Wang stressed that the most important thing for China now is to continue to handle its own affairs well. Wang’s attitude was also echoed by officials for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Many have cited cultural and psychological reasons as explanations for China’s reservations. As oriental culture is more sensitive about maintaining reputations and saving face, high-level engagements should be conducted in a friendly environment that may have been specifically created.
So, in the eyes of many Chinese people, when the US announced sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials just before the Alaska talks in March, it was a humiliation and far from a friendly curtain-raiser.
This time, ahead of Sherman’s possible visit to China, the US issued a “business advisory” about the risks of operating in Hong Kong and sanctioned seven officials from the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong – once again sounding an ominous note.
Having said that, behind such cultural and psychological factors are complicated strategic and geopolitical reasons that should be explored.
Why does China remain doubtful about American sincerity? And, what lies behind the US’ expressions of interest in meeting Chinese leaders? To answer these questions, some lessons could be drawn from the meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
As clearly manifested in the Anchorage talks, the US does not engage with China with the sincere intention to deal with bilateral issues, such as enhancing cooperation or tackling global challenges together in the time of Covid-19. Rather, the US seeks first to appease its domestic audience.
A diplomatic meeting was turned into a showcase for the Biden administration’s tough policy towards China before the American public, including the Republicans. This is a clear signal that the US-China engagement in Anchorage was about teaching the Chinese a lesson on human rights issues, rather than improving bilateral relations.
As the No 2 US diplomat Wendy Sherman kicks off her Asian trip this week, no one has completely ruled out the possibility that she will visit China.
Even before her trip, signals were sent out on several occasions hinting at a high-level engagement between the United States and China. However, whether it is White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell’s expectations of a meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, or US national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s suggestion of a Biden-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, China has yet to say yes.
“Of course we hope to resume dialogue, but it depends on whether the US is sincere,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, when asked whether there would be a high-level meeting between China and the US this year.
Wang stressed that the most important thing for China now is to continue to handle its own affairs well. Wang’s attitude was also echoed by officials for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Many have cited cultural and psychological reasons as explanations for China’s reservations. As oriental culture is more sensitive about maintaining reputations and saving face, high-level engagements should be conducted in a friendly environment that may have been specifically created.
So, in the eyes of many Chinese people, when the US announced sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials just before the Alaska talks in March, it was a humiliation and far from a friendly curtain-raiser.
This time, ahead of Sherman’s possible visit to China, the US issued a “business advisory” about the risks of operating in Hong Kong and sanctioned seven officials from the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong – once again sounding an ominous note.
Having said that, behind such cultural and psychological factors are complicated strategic and geopolitical reasons that should be explored.
Why does China remain doubtful about American sincerity? And, what lies behind the US’ expressions of interest in meeting Chinese leaders? To answer these questions, some lessons could be drawn from the meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
As clearly manifested in the Anchorage talks, the US does not engage with China with the sincere intention to deal with bilateral issues, such as enhancing cooperation or tackling global challenges together in the time of Covid-19. Rather, the US seeks first to appease its domestic audience.
A diplomatic meeting was turned into a showcase for the Biden administration’s tough policy towards China before the American public, including the Republicans. This is a clear signal that the US-China engagement in Anchorage was about teaching the Chinese a lesson on human rights issues, rather than improving bilateral relations.
Notably, the timing of Sherman’s possible visit and its strategic intentions give the lie to the seriousness of the Biden administration’s intentions to engage China.
It is customary for a new US administration’s first state visits to be to allied countries. Biden has just finished his alliance campaign in Europe, where he attended the G7 summit last month.
He has held face-to-face meetings with leaders of allied countries including Britain, Japan and South Korea. Since the US views China as a rival, it’s natural that it is not on that list.
However, the strained relationship between the US and Russia has not prevented Biden from meeting President Vladimir Putin in a third country.
Even at the height of the Cold War, the US and Soviet Union remained engaged with each other to at least manage the crisis. Thus, Sherman’s by-the-way visit to China speaks for itself. This is an itinerary detail that’s more optional than essential.
Finally, it is the strategic intention behind the US engagement with China that plays the most important role in defining the relationship between the two. Domestically, the Biden administration has seldom delivered policy positions without the containment of China serving as a backdrop.
Internationally, the China issue has been put forward by the US as a central topic to be discussed with all its allies and partners on either bilateral or multilateral occasions.
The US has urged these nations to take a harder line on Beijing’s human rights problem, economic practices, hi-tech development and military issues. A new global infrastructure programme, “Build Back Better World”, has been purposely adopted to rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
All these efforts are aimed at better positioning the US in its competition with China. US practices give the distinct impression that the nation is not developing itself to deliver peace and prosperity to its people and the international community. Instead, it is mobilising its domestic and international resources to contain another state. Its strategic goal is not to develop itself but to compete with another nation.
Worse, at a time when fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and restoring the economy are top human rights priorities for the world, and international cooperation is more necessary than ever, the US has used every lever it has to push big-power competition.
The dilemma of having to choose a side has been thrust upon nearly every state, like it or not. Disinformation, sanctions and coercion with regard to China have become the “new normal” as the US pushes others to take sides.
When diplomatic engagement is applied in a strategic confrontation, it is no wonder that China is being cautious. Chinese wariness should also serve as a warning to other countries in this region.
When the Biden administration loudly declares that the US is back, it also means that America is back in the Asia-Pacific. However, given the devastation of the Korean, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars, the real question is how much the US can be trusted to deliver on its boast that it plays a stabilising role in the region.
Dr Cheng Jing is an associate fellow at the Global Governance Institution and lecturer at the School of Foreign Studies, Xidian University
Xu Jingzhi is an intern at the Global Governance Institution. She studies at New York University Shanghai, majoring in political science and economics
(https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3141792/will-xi-meet-biden-why-china-wary-us-diplomatic-intentions)
- 原標題:程靜、許競之:舍曼訪華美國需拿出外交誠意,再來上課中國不吃這一套 本文僅代表作者個人觀點。
- 責任編輯: 趙珺婕 
-
“拒不道歉”的澳總理,還是道歉了
2021-07-23 09:36 新冠肺炎抗疫戰 -
聯合國秘書長呼吁各國遵守奧林匹克休戰傳統
2021-07-23 08:16 -
日本大使美化軍國主義罪行,中方當場痛斥
2021-07-23 08:08 -
尼日利亞暴發霍亂,首都死亡人數達60人
2021-07-23 07:42 -
美國新增確診52677例、死亡291例
2021-07-23 07:27 新冠肺炎抗疫戰 -
南非:騷亂已致337人死亡
2021-07-23 07:01 -
美國前駐俄大使:試圖離間中俄是白費功夫
2021-07-22 22:48 中俄關系 -
罕見!土耳其遭到五常一致譴責
2021-07-22 21:33 -
菲媒咬定中國在南?!胺欠ú捎汀?,遭菲總統府打臉
2021-07-22 18:51 -
外國網友:中國偷竊美國技術!哦等等,美國沒有
2021-07-22 18:30 科技前沿 -
普京就河南嚴重內澇致慰問電,中方:衷心感謝
2021-07-22 18:12 河南暴雨 -
東京都今日疫情:新增1979例,連續兩天破紀錄
2021-07-22 17:20 東京奧運會 -
東奧開幕前一天,沒導演了…
2021-07-22 17:08 東京奧運會 -
外交部:30國領導人已公開接種中國疫苗
2021-07-22 16:37 新冠肺炎抗疫戰 -
菅義偉:日本舉辦奧運是安全的,你看英國不也…
2021-07-22 16:23 東京奧運會 -
日本公布5個疫苗護照適用國,沒有中美
2021-07-22 16:21 日本 -
王毅:敘利亞老百姓因制裁為大餅發愁時,有些國家卻大談人權
2021-07-22 16:13 敘利亞內戰 -
小薩馬蘭奇期待北京冬奧,日網民酸了
2021-07-22 15:54 東京奧運會 -
商務部:下半年外貿增速將有所回落
2021-07-22 15:26 中國經濟 -
英國央行不還黃金,委內瑞拉:準備戰斗
2021-07-22 15:15 不列顛
相關推薦 -
被當面打臉,日鐵急了 評論 9受中國影響,澳企要在稀土加工業務上發力了 評論 43全國最大!哈密百萬千瓦“光熱+光伏”項目并網發電 評論 68“中國在非洲真正贏得了民心,就連斯威士蘭…” 評論 97最新聞 Hot
-
“沙特曾多次警告德國提防嫌疑人”
-
特朗普最新任命!這次包括火箭隊老板、真人秀制作人
-
巴勒斯坦三個政治派別發表聯合聲明
-
“中國在非洲真正贏得了民心,就連斯威士蘭…”
-
“日企抱團是絕望之舉,中國工廠效率質量都是第一”
-
“中國有能力讓夢想照進現實,將贏得史詩般競爭”
-
被災民暴罵到當場破防,馬克龍發飆:你該慶幸你在法國!
-
美高校敦促國際學生抓緊回來:萬一把中印拉黑名單呢
-
美國政府“逃過一劫”
-
“澤連斯基要求歐盟新外長:對華批評要降調”
-
澳大利亞來了,中國就得走人?澳總理這么回應
-
美媒感慨:基建狂魔發力,我們又要被超越了
-
英國剛公布新任大使,特朗普顧問就痛罵:傻X
-
“來自中國的老大哥能確保我們…”
-
俄羅斯的報復來了
-
澤連斯基罵普京“傻子”,俄方怒斥
-