Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a zen-like word of warning for Antony Blinken on Monday. Blinky has been trying to set up a meeting or even a phone call to kick around some important issues and can’t seem to get anyone to return his messages. Meanwhile, they’re practically begging Blinky’s former boss John Kerry to lurch over for a visit.
A warning to think it over
On Monday, Foreign Minister Qin Gang passed a warning along to Blinky through the U.S. ambassador Nicholas Burns. The Chinese are so mad at Antony Blinken they won’t even tell him why.
If Blinky wants to get back to hammering out diplomatic agreements, he’d better sit and think long and hard about what he did wrong. He’s a big boy and smart enough to figure it out, if he’s willing to be honest with himself, that is. Considering his relationship with Joe Biden, he may never get a clue.
The way Dances With Wolves phrased his warning underscores the “cultured” style of Qin Gang’s diplomatic methods. He’s brought world diplomacy back to the black-tie days of Henry Kissinger. It’s too bad that Blinken can’t seem to appreciate the subtlety. Relations between China and America are on ice, Wolf Warrior notes. Not just ordinary ice but “cold ice.”
I met State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang today. We discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilizing ties and expanding high-level communication. pic.twitter.com/2AYxkXiVMI
— Ambassador Nicholas Burns (@USAmbChina) May 8, 2023
Blinky needs to find a quiet place, have a cup of tea, breathe calmly and “reflect deeply.” It’s time, he suggests, to “meet China halfway, and propel China-U.S. relations out of the difficulties and back on the right track.”
We’re the ones who need to do the apologizing Qin suggests. The United States should “correct its understanding of China and return to rationality.” He just called Blinky “nuts.” He reminded our Minister of State that China’s been warning for months that we need to keep our hands off of Taiwan.
We’ve been “attempting to suppress and contain China.” It’s not going to happen. That’s why their ties had “grown icy.” Wolfie then poked a little harder, declaring that China wants to “avoid a downward spiral and unanticipated events.” A spiral down to nuclear Armageddon is one such unanticipated event.
Taiwan is the key
If the United States would formally make a diplomatic statement to the effect that we’re not going to try to seduce the Chinese territory of Taiwan away from them, we can start talking to each other again. Without that much of a commitment, the communists feel they’re wasting their time.
The U.S. Qin added, should stop “undermining China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests,” particularly through support of Taiwan as an independent identity. This warning is crystal clear, not clouded by polite diplomacy. Taiwan must come under Chinese rule, “by force if necessary.”
Blinken has been taking the position that since we have a treaty to defend the island if they are attacked, that gives us the right to help set them up as an independent nation. Legally it’s totally rock solid that Taiwan belongs to China, whether they’re allowed to run their own local affairs or not
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang called the US hypocritical for trying to strengthen communication channels between countries on the one hand while brushing off what China sees as its red lines on Taiwan – WSJ
China also has its red lines. And what red lines does the US have… pic.twitter.com/IudXIE3mWE
— Victor vicktop55 (@vicktop55) May 8, 2023
The big question is whether “re-unification” by force is considered an attack which we need to help defend Taiwan from. China says no. Biden and Blinky say yes. NATO was supposed to back us up, then recently changed their mind. It’s no surprise that France and the European Union waffled immediately after a string of meetings with Qin Gang. He apparently had a warning or two for Europe.
Contacts between Washington and Beijing, Washington Post writes, “have been fraught for months since U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a Beijing trip aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions in February.” He didn’t have a lot of choice.
“That came after a large high-altitude Chinese balloon was shot down after it sailed across the U.S., drawing Pentagon accusations of spying on sensitive military sites despite firm Chinese denials.” That balloon was meant to be a warning too. Like Sputnik. It says China can do what they want and there isn’t much we can do about it until it’s too late.
