The Surface and the Insides of the Sino-U.S. Relationship

Right after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen left China, the U.S.S began to act against China — first with the delay of U.S. Vice President Biden’s trip to China due to domestic affairs, then with the arrival of three U.S. army warships in Vietnam and the meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama.

Americans have dealt with China for a long time and completely understand China’s sensitivity to reputation. Since the U.S. doesn’t want to give China any chance to cancel Biden’s trip first, it delayed the trip and claimed domestic affairs as excuses. However, people familiar with the United States know that the U.S. Vice President actually doesn’t have many things to do. He is actually a “spare tire”. Why doesn’t he have time? Besides, the president stays in Camp David frequently and doesn’t seem to be busy dealing with affairs.

Last year, Obama delayed visits to Indonesia and Australia. The scheduled visits to these two places in March 2010 was first delayed to June and finally to November. The official reason was that President Obama needed to negotiate with the Congress on medical reform issues. However, one of the real reasons was that some locals in Indonesia tore down Obama’s statue. There are always explicit and implicit reasons for diplomatic actions, and the implicit reasons are kept to oneself.

The visit of three U.S. warships to Vietnam slapped China in the face. When Mullen was in China, the Chinese military used some inappropriate words and actions. Some physical gestures and contact confused Mullen. For instance, someone pointed to Mullen with his thumb, and one general officer in the Air Force even touched Mullen’s shoulder during their conversation. They should realize the importance of courtesy. When dealing with senior officers like Mullen, the Chinese government should learn more about international diplomatic courtesy. In terms of aircraft carriers, Mullen shared some professional knowledge and claimed that he and China had divergent ideas on this topic. However, the Chinese government expressed satisfaction with Mullen’s comments on aircraft carriers.

The third blow was Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama. The meeting with the Dalai Lama in the White House’s Map Room seems to show respect to China on the surface, but it has actually humiliated China. Obviously, this meeting is revenge for China’s meeting with Sudan’s President al-Bashir. There is another question: What if China meets with Pakistani President Zardari in Zhongnanhai? In China’s opinion, the Dalai Lama is a separatist, but to Americans, the Dalai Lama is their friend because the United States has an established relationship with him dating back to Roosevelt’s time. President Roosevelt even gave a gold watch and a letter to the Dalai Lama as gifts; the letter was lost but the gold watch is still here. The United States will support the Dalai Lama as strongly as they do Libya’s opposition leader until he gains enough power to overthrow China’s central government. Besides, the United States is also ready to face a scenario that the opposition, once governing the country, will go against the United States

The United States’ three blows will gain merits for itself, but they will threaten China’s interests. The United States has not only used these attacks once but many times. Even the audience is tired of their methods. President Reagan used the same methods to deal with Gorbachev: first, friendly hugs, but then, a space race. When the Soviet Union tried to win the race breathlessly, Eastern Europe began to drastically change, and the Berlin Wall was torn down. The allied countries in the Soviet Union became restless.

There are so many sophisticated diplomats in China who not only have themselves studied abroad, but also sent their sons and daughters abroad to study “the corruption of capitalism” and “U.S. imperialism’s paper tiger characteristics.” However, these people fail to clearly understand several crucial secrets: First, the U.S.’s national policies are solid and are not influenced by the alternating governments; second, the U.S. tries to alienate communist countries from one another; third, the U.S. is creating all kinds of conditions to try to peacefully disintegrate China; fourth, Chinese officers’ money in U.S. banks never enjoys any privacy; fifth, Chiang Kai-shek was betrayed by the United States.

The Sino-U.S. relationship is like a swing. With every swing, China always loses something. Nowadays, due to Sino-U.S. relations, there are not only communications between parties, but also exchange programs between mayors and state governors from China and the United States. Both sides are exerting power. However, who is more powerful?