Opinion | Sino-US stories of ambivalence and rivalry: Then and now

By Augustus K. Yeung

When the U.S. president's job is in Trump's firing line, there's nothing more furiously urgent to him than fighting for his political life, future and family.

The Biden administration has so far made three most significant moves in recent months, to be followed by Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing later. It constitutes a well-planned and well-coordinated campaign with the intention of strengthening the U.S. president's hands – in his final showdown with Donald Trump, the predecessor whose run for a comeback in November election has miraculously shown shock and awe, beating all fellow Republican presidential candidates. None of them pose a serious threat to him. And not even the string of legal indictments seems to be able to hold him back. And Donald Trump's endorsement as the sole Republican runner is set in stone.

Given such threatening circumstances, Biden must come up with contingency plans that work, enabling him to finish Trump off.

Hence, here comes the three-prone approach which is relying aggressively on China, a common target that the divided American public, especially Congress will come to a coalition, clinching political consensus.

First, a tough-talking Catherine Tai on Friday, March 1 released the 2024 Policy Agenda and 2023 Annual Report to Congress, which sought to continue action against "harms wrought by Beijing's 'trade and economic abuses.' "We are also considering all existing tools – will seek new ones as needed," the report said, adding that hostile trade actions [initiated by the Trump administration] so far had allowed the U.S. to "engage and compete" with Beijing "from a position of strength".

Second, came the two-hour-long phone call by President Biden to President Xi Jinping, which was a reminiscent moment of peace, and now reinforcement of their consensus agreed on at the San Francisco Summit in November.

Third, Janet Yellen's five-day visit to Guangzhou and Beijing in the early days of April is the main showpiece, to be followed by Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing.

Catherine Tai, the first factor has been chided by China. But it was somewhat pacified by the Biden-Xi conversation, paving the way for Janet Yellen's turn to charm the Chinese.

The internet is obsessed with what Janet Yellen eats in China.

Since she ate mushrooms that can have psychedelic effects in Beijing last July, Janet Yellen has united Americans and Chinese in wanting to know what she will eat next.

And now that the U.S. Treasury Secretary was back in China, having stopped in Guangzhou and Beijing, many people are less interested in her travel to rebuild relations between the world's two biggest economies, and more fascinated with what she'll eat next and where.

A social media account run by Chinese state media posted a catchy video of Yellen on her first night in China this month, eating with the U.S. ambassador and other officials at Tao Tao Ju, a Guangzhou restaurant that dates to 1880.

The post, one of the most viewed on the Weibo microblog app the next morning, praised Yellen for holding chopsticks well but added, " as a U.S. official, Yellen needs to know more about China than just food. Only by knowing more about China can we set right the American view of the world, of China, of China-U.S. relations."

In China, her very first viral moment happened when she unknowingly ate mushrooms that can become psychedelic when cooked improperly at a Yunnan restaurant called Yi Zuo Yi Wang during her first trip as Treasury Secretary last July. Mushroom Gate went viral across the internet and the restaurant has since dedicated a part of its menu to Yellen's visit, where diners can order what she ate!

She told CNN at the time, "I was not aware that these mushrooms had hallucinogenic properties. I learned that later."

In China this week, Yellen is hoping to make headway – on the issue of what she calls Chinese industrial "overcapacity" of solar products, electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries – that she warns threaten global economic stability if left unchecked.

And this time around in Beijing, Yellen ate at Lao Chuan Ban, a popular Sichuan restaurant. She also had lunch with Beijing Mayor Yin Yong at the Beijing International Hotel.

On Monday evening, her last night in China, accompanied by ambassador Nicholas Burns, Yellen visited Jing-A Brewing Co. in Beijing – co-founded by an American – where she ordered a Flying Fist IPA, a beer made with American hops.

She took a sip and called it "excellent!" (MDT/AP)

These stories of Sino-U.S. rivalry and exuberance make up the totality of their bilateral relations. Yes, Yellen has successfully captured the imagination of a nation, whose people want her to know more about China, so that she can go back to America and tell her versions of stories about China then and now.

So, President Xi Jinping is right to have keenly advocated "people-to-people contacts". Just as Janet Yellen is taken for a pleasure eatery/cuisine ride in Guangzhou and Beijing by her Chinese fans and friends, Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping have talked amicably, taking a walk at the Filoli Estate in California. This is another beautiful story amid the U.S.-China rivalry.

While rivalry is one-sided, ambivalence is probably the right word to describe Sino-U.S. relationships, because the connotation of rivalry can mean cut-throat competition such as the ones between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

The difference is that with "rivalries" Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump fight to the bitter end. Whereas, for China and the United States, where there are continuous contacts through trade and commerce or whatever, the word "ambivalence" is a variable (characterized by ups and downs), which may one day develop into a beautiful friendship – should the participants continue to work hard on win-win projects such as their cooperative efforts on controlling fentanyl.

China and the United States will consolidate their friendship eventually; because, between Biden and Xi, there is this absence of malice. And both are decent statesmen.

 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

To contact the writer, please direct email: AugustusKYeung@ymail.com

Read more articles by Augustus K. Yeung:

Opinion | Chinese leader: embrace a 'brighter future' through joint action

Opinion | Indonesian President-elect is visiting Beijing – to forge deeper cooperation

Opinion | Xi Jinping walks with U.S. top brass – Talks are 'open and frank'

Opinion | Ukraine FM Kuleba says China has 'great potential' to help end war