Opinion | In San Francisco Summit, China should diplomatically make one demand and three requests
By Augustus K. Yeung
If there is any real progress in the flurry of high-level visits of officials between China and the U.S., the best measure is to make one modest demand plus three polite requests – reasonable ways that can help the Chinese side see whether the Biden administration is no longer toeing the lunatic, eccentric and erratic party line of Donald Trump, Biden's predecessor.
President Xi Jinping has been sincerely courted and keenly sought by world leaders. Now he wants to see whether President Biden is determined to establish and leave behind his own legacy, and not in the dark shadow of Donald Trump.
There will be a diplomatic victory for both China and the U.S. – if Biden can meet its one-demand and three-requests.
First and foremost, the Chinese side should demand the White House to veto Congressman Mike Gallagher's Bill if it is passed into Act.
Second, China should make three requests, politely asking the U.S. President to relieve Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense, whose war-like behavior can no longer be tolerated by the PLA – if the two sides are to avoid any catastrophic military conflict.
The next logical thing to do then is to request for the two sides to hold joint-naval/military drills – as a gesture of solidarity, peace, and cooperation: it's a sure safe "guard rail" against eruption of violence.
Finally, President Xi should diplomatically ask his counterpart to help facilitate future meetings –between the lawmakers from both sides.
If the U.S. president can persuade Chuck Schumer, the well-known "Washington Anti-China Hawk", the Majority Senate Leader, to visit Beijing which has been a great success – serving as an excellent example for other lawmakers from both sides to hold meaningful meetings more often – as a regular mechanism for promoting mutual understanding and bilateral relations.
Together, these one-demand plus three-requests would form the foundation of a formidable China-U.S. relations/cornerstone that can stand the test of time – and refute Professor John Mearsheimer's horrible prediction that war between the two nations is inevitable eventually.
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Etiology, even in a footnote, is important. It throws light on the ups and downs of bilateral relations between the US and China. This knowledge can help prevent an emerging ill-wind from being blown into Huracan-size – which is what Mike Gallagher presents and represents.
With President Biden, the ups and downs that have characterized U.S.-China relations since the start of his presidency can best be explained in the context of his predecessor's anti-China sentiments and legacy, which have caused widespread social chaos in America. It has also disrupted the normal and healthy development of their bilateral relations, covered every aspect of economic and trading activities, and hurt American and Chinese firms.
With the former U.S. president, the world can see who Donald J. Trump is and what harms he has been doing to his country and the world, notably China – a nation that has been through "a century of humiliations", but has always been wise enough to be a friend to the United States that had once helped the impoverished country – and its people to resist Japanese imperial military aggression in the last century.
But, now with the emergency of Mike Gallagher, the U.S. army veteran-turned House lawmaker, and given America's contemporary vulnerability, China and the United States together must make allowance to avoid the rise of yet another Narsi-like persona non-grata.
High-level meetings between the two sides help, but if nothing substantial is being achieved then all these face-to-face exchanges have not reached full impact. China believes that the U.S. is being sincere, but the Xi Jinping administration figures that it is better to guard against anything that might upset China-U.S. relations. Prevention is better than cure.
China's only emphatic demand that the much talked about Bill launched by Gallagher be vetoed by President Biden. Rationality as a striking personality feature of President Joe Biden is well-known, and the irrationality of Mr. Mike Gallagher as a staunch basher of Beijing and the Communist Party of China (CPC) runs counter to U.S. interest.
With President Biden, China believes that a measure of cordiality will be and can be maintained – if the world's two most powerful economic entities are continuing to do business – and say no to "decoupling".
But Gallagher may be a dangerous factor.
China entertains the possibility that Mr. Gallagher's professed Anti-Communist China attitude and harsh political stance is a result of lack of understanding of CPC, which has not done any harm to the U. S.– but has lifted 800 million Chinese out of abject poverty!
In his maiden speech, though, when he first held the House Subcommittee meeting, Gallagher said that it was "the Communist Party of China" that he was going against, "not the Chinese people".
The one-party system serves China's interest well – as historically the two-party system in all dynasties had been disastrous. China's American friends by now should understand that the rivalry (or riff-raff) between the Democratic and the Republican Parties is wreaking great havoc in American society.
To conclude, if President Xi can get Biden to veto the Bill if it ever gets passed into Act by the House/Senate then that would be considered a concrete giant step forward in China-U.S. relations, simply by checkmating Mike Gallagher.
As a substantive measure of U.S. sincerity and, above all, it will be a great diplomatic victory for China and Hong Kong (SAR), especially the "49 officials" on Gallagher's crazy-bully list of sanctions.
This melodrama orchestrated by Mike Gallagher is locally regarded as a total and brutal molestation of its judiciary, sovereignty, and humanity.
But if President Xi can minimally clinch this one-demand deal for Hong Kong (SAR) – as its "rule of law" has been and will always be a cornerstone to its judicial integrity, social stability and international business prosperity – and all is well that ends well.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
To contact the writer, please direct email: AugustusKYeung@ymail.com
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