Under the pale lights of the Great Hall of the People, Antony Blinken is the only member of the American delegation to drop the surgical mask. In front of him, Wang Yi, the highest diplomat of the communist regime, his face covered, as well as his advisers.
At the end of the two rows of tables, separated by mauve flowers, Xi Jinping dominates the scene, with a huge traditional Chinese painting in the background, like a red sphinx. China “expressed its position with clarity. Interactions between states should be based on mutual respect,” said the general secretary of the Communist Party of China.
He delivers the long-awaited verdict after the US Secretary of State’s first visit to Beijing, in the midst of escalating tensions between the two leading world powers, evoking “progress”, and even “common ground” while throwing the ball back into America’s court. “I hope you will make positive contributions towards stabilizing relations between China and the United States,” said the most authoritative leader since Mao.
His appearance, which remained uncertain until the last hours of this high-tension visit, haloed the success of Blinken’s commando operation, which had to abruptly postpone his arrival in early February following the overflight of American territory by a Chinese surveillance balloon, finally shot down by the US Air Force.
The presence, even furtive, of Xi, gives its imprimatur to the diplomatic relaunch led by the American Secretary of State. It paves the way for a future summit between Joe Biden and the leader of the second world economy, sounding a timid thaw, eight months after their interview last November in Bali.
The dynamics set in motion on the Indonesian island seem to be relaunched, offering a timid relief to investors and chancelleries, but the structural pitfalls remain between the two giants engaged in a rivalry assumed on a planetary scale.
Blinken did not hide the extent of the differences at the end of this marathon 48-hour visit, referring to “robust” discussions, including on the “war of aggression in Ukraine”, never condemned by Beijing. “There are many issues on which we are in deep – even vehement – disagreement”, declared the head of the American diplomacy, saying to himself “without illusions” in front of the journalists.
Beijing boldly laid down its conditions for a relaxation, through the voice of Wang, demanding concessions on Taiwan, the lifting of sanctions on its technology sector, and an end to “interference” in its internal affairs, a formula targeting American criticism against repression in Xinjiang or Hong Kong.
The pugnacious diplomat has set the price of a thaw to a Biden Administration which has been trying for several months to restore communication channels, “to prevent competition from turning into conflict”. A way of indicating that the United States will not have peace, as long as it continues its “containment” strategy.
America must “make a choice between cooperation and conflict”, warned the mad diplomat, urging him to abandon the theme of “the Chinese threat”, on the eve of a 2024 presidential campaign where this slogan will be successful. Relations between the two giants are “at a critical moment”, Wang dramatized, after an interview at the Diaoyutai residence on Monday.
This cacique of the Marxist-Leninist regime has called on America to be self-critical, blaming it for the deterioration of relations, judging that its “erroneous” perception of China is the root cause of the tensions, a leitmotif hammered home since the escalation of hostilities under Donald Trump. In the precise choreography of this visit, Wang took on the role of the hawk, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, had displayed a relatively conciliatory tone the day before, continuing more than seven hours of discussion with his host, until late in the day. the evening.
As reassurance, Blinken swore to Xi that America was not seeking to “contain” China’s economic rise, support Taiwan’s “independence,” or instigate regime change in Beijing. “Neither side is ready to make substantive concessions, but they are trying to avoid an open confrontation by maintaining high-level contacts,” said Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing.
The secretary of state had abruptly postponed his visit on February 3, hours before taking off, after the detection of a Chinese surveillance balloon over Montana. This intrusion had put the White House under the fire of criticism from Republicans, leading it to finally shoot down the mysterious aircraft over the Atlantic.
Since then, the first two world powers had displayed their mutual distrust, even if Washington was careful not to publicly reveal the result of the investigation into the “spy” balloon fished out. Beijing had declined an interview with the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore, in early June, despite the multiplication of incidents between soldiers off the Chinese coast.
Beijing is making Taiwan a test of the goodwill of the United States, demanding that it cease its support for the democratic island that the regime wants to “reunify” with the mainland. China will make “no compromises or concessions” on this hot topic, Wang insisted, on the eve of a key presidential election for the island’s future in January.
Faced with a disappointing post-Covid economic recovery, the device tries to reassure worried international investors, but does not want to compromise on the Taiwanese issue, “red line”. “China wants a detente, provided that Washington does not pursue a pro-independence policy”, judge Mathieu Duchâtel, of the Montaigne Institute. With, in the crosshairs, Lai Ching-te, the favorite, candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), qualified as “separatist”, who is expected in the United States by the ballot.
