Tensions Remain High Between US and China
Image Courtesy of CNN
By Chris Carey
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has been clear about the real threat he sees China posing globally and to the US since before his confirmation. Over the first months of the Biden Presidency, although the rhetoric of the Trump Administration has died, much of the caution used in addressing the growing superpower has remained.
These sentiments became most evident during the first meeting between Secretary Blinken and Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi, who serves as the Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office.
Set in Anchorage, Alaska, the first meeting between the new Biden Administration and representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began with fireworks on Thursday, March 18.
Veering off of script, Secretary Blinken addressed many “concerns with actions by China, including in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyber attacks on the United States, and economic coercion toward our allies.”
He continued, alleging that “each of these actions threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability. That’s why they’re not merely internal matters and why we feel an obligation to raise these issues here today.”
The Chinese representatives had no problem offering a rebuttal to the unscripted claims made by the US officials.
“Many people within the United States … have little confidence in the democracy of the United States,” Director Yang asserted, continuing, “China has made steady progress in human rights, and the fact is that there are many problems within the United States regarding human rights.”
These deviations from the expected remarks would set the tone for that meeting.
Yang continued, “the problem is that the United States has exercised long-arm jurisdiction and suppression … through the use of force or financial hegemony.”
The confrontation between the greatest diplomatic powers would continue into this week as Secretary Blinken issued words against China’s more recent handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its vaccination attempts, as well as its increased aggression in the waters and in the air around Taiwan.
“What we’ve seen, and what is of real concern to us, is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the Straits,” said Blinken. “We have a serious commitment to peace and security in the western Pacific. We stand behind those commitments. And in that context, it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change that status quo by force,” he continued.
The East China Sea has seen increased activity from the Chinese military in previous weeks, with Taiwan vowing to defend its shores if necessary.
Joseph Wu, serving as Taiwan’s foreign minister, warned of the resilience of the Taiwanese people and their willingness to fight.
“We are willing to defend ourselves without any questions and we will fight the war if we need to fight the war. And if we need to defend ourselves to the very last day we will defend ourselves to the very last day,” he said.
As tensions heighten between the United States, China, and Taiwan, it is certain that neither the Biden Administration nor the CCP will back down.
