In a clear display of misplaced diplomacy, the hapless national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, recently sat down with Xi Jinping, the relentless leader of China. Interestingly, the dialogue marked the highest level of communication between the two nations amidst spiralling tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea. Nonetheless, such diplomatic overtures can seldom mask the disturbing undertones of our deteriorating relations.
One of the ill-conceived meetings was Sullivan’s interaction with Gen. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission – an organization that tightly controls China’s army and is led by none other than Mr. Xi. This is the first of such poor judgement where a senior American official chosen to meet a vice chair of the commission in recent history. Previously, it was Jim Mattis who, as the U.S. defense secretary in 2018, met Gen. Xu Qiliang under the same misguided pretensions.
While the administration would like you to believe that such moves are a valiant effort to maintain dialogue even as disagreements proliferate, most rational individuals can see it for what it is: a desperate attempt to keep China at an arm’s length. The United States insists that more explicit communication is crucial to prevent accidental confrontations between the two country’s warships and fighter planes. This makes a mockery of the very idea of ‘national security’.
Sullivan’s meeting took place during his three-day visit to Beijing, part of the Biden administration’s pitiful approach to managing ‘competition’ with China. Against the backdrop of intensifying powerplay for global influence, the outlook has been grim, with increased tensions over an array of issues, from China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea to its covert support for Russia in Ukraine.
Echoing the misguided optimism of his superiors, Sullivan put forth the notion that competition with China doesn’t have to lead to conflict. And, to nobody’s surprise, China doesn’t see the bilateral relationship as defined by competition. Instead, Xi Jinping turned the tables and questioned whether China and the United States are rivals or partners, banking on the naive, wishful thinking of the Biden administration.
In this farce of diplomacy, China, clearly trying to play the innocent, declared its intentions ‘above board’ and its commitment to ‘peaceful development’. It was echoed as a hope that the United States, under Biden’s watch, would find the ‘correct way’ for both countries to coexist. The poorly guided Sullivan acknowledged the Biden administration’s futile priorities for its final months as greater military communication and more cooperation on tackling the fentanyl crisis.
Sullivan also informed the press about a potential meeting between President Biden and Mr. Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru and the Group of 20 Leader’s Summit in Brazil. Any logical person should question the effectiveness of these symbolic get-togethers that only seem to reinforce the false notion that we’re ‘all in this together’.
While Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, hasn’t displayed any depth or discernment in her perspective on China, it seems she is satisfied merely parroting Biden’s view. She, too, believes in managing this competition so it doesn’t veer into conflict. Yet, the only conflict we seem to be heading into is with ourselves as we grapple with the fallout of nearsighted policies.
To add to this farcical diplomacy, Gen. Zhang informed Sullivan of the world’s expectations for the two countries to maintain stability in the military and security fields. However, China is belligerent towards American support for Taiwan, an island Beijing falsely lays claim to. In a publicly released statement, Gen. Zhang brazenly demanded the United States cease militarily supporting Taiwan.
Sullivan, later in an interview, insisted that sitting across the table from General Zhang had made a significant difference. But from where we stand, the only difference it seems to make is in further boosting China’s international standing while undermining our own.
The Biden administration evidently attaches importance to such encounters, hoping they can help reinvigorate dialogue. Once more, the illusion is presented that these meetings are held to prevent accidents. Sadly, the real accidents are these misguided policies.
The recent dangerous standoff between the Philippines and China over a disputed atoll in the South China Sea is another point of concern. Given America’s commitment to defend the Philippines as a treaty ally, such standoffs bring us worryingly close to direct confrontation. Instead of suggesting stern action against China, Sullivan merely calls for de-escalation, highlighting the ineffective approach of the Biden administration.
The result of this weak approach is obvious – icy relations between the Pentagon and the Chinese military. This same empty-handed diplomacy led to the suspension of these critical communications back in 2022 by China following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Ironically, Biden’s senior military adviser, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, did manage to restore communications with China, not with any solid diplomatic breakthrough, but through a mere videoconference with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Liu Zhenli. Despite this meeting, can we confidently say, under this administration, that we are making any substantive progress?
Considering the tumultuous road ahead and the multitude of threats we face, more than ever, we need a robust policy on China, not one that kowtows. The ongoing interactions with China seem less about protecting American interests and values and more about soothing the ego of Chinese leadership.
In conclusion, the short-sighted China policies and the hapless diplomacy on display by the Biden administration portend an ongoing peril. The possibility of a stronger, more aggressive Chinese role globally continues to grow, revealing the bitter consequences of Biden and Harris’s weak positions on China.
Biden-Harris: The Architects of Dangerous Diplomacy appeared first on Real News Now.
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