A jingoistic exhortation to his military by Chinese President Xi Jinping sets the tone for a rift-healing visit to Beijing by US Treasury Secretary Janet Allen.
On July 6, as Allen’s flight prepared to land in the Chinese capital, President Xi, whom she would not be meeting during her visit, was inspecting the organs of the Eastern Theatre command.
Yellen’s request for revival of bilateral talks and not let technology tensions disrupt ties was preceded by Xi telling the PLA troops that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation and China’s security situation is facing rising instability and uncertainty.
Xi’s remarks hit a more strident note: “It is necessary to keep in mind the mission and task at all times, adhere to the problem orientation, enhance the planning of war and combat, strengthen the command system for joint operations, and step up training under real combat conditions to raise the forces’ capabilities to fight and win.”
The president said iIt is necessary to continue to think about and handle military issues from a political perspective, have the courage to struggle and be good at struggle, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.
Obviously, the statements of the two leaders appear to be running parallel and what that means to efforts to bring the two powers to the talking table is anybody’s guess.
Unmindful of Yellen’s visit, Xi went about promoting communist ideology to strengthen the resolve of the PLA. It is necessary to comprehensively strengthen Party building, he told them, asking them to do a good job in studying and implementing the thematic education campaign on the Thought of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the new era.
He carried on with his pet theme of a confluence of ideas of the military and the party by telling the soldiers to “persevere with rectifying discipline and fighting corruption, do a solid job in laying the foundation at the grassroots level, improve the ability Party committees of theatre commands to be more capable of leading combat readiness, thereby fully fulfilling tasks entrusted by the Party and the people”.
He wanted the PLA to “strive to create a new situation in theater construction and war preparations”.
He gave them his interpretation of the global situation: “At present, the world has entered a new period of turmoil and change, and the instability and uncertainty of my country’s security situation have increased. It is necessary to keep in mind the mission and task at all times, adhere to the problem orientation, enhance the sense of urgency, and go all out to perform the main combat functions of the theatre. It is necessary to deepen war and combat planning, build a strong theater joint combat command system, focus on actual combat military training, and accelerate the improvement of winning capabilities.”
Yellen has kicked off her first visit to Beijing in this atmosphere. Many wonder if these remarks see in the backdrop of competing interests of both countries may make the trip fruitless at best—and downright hostile at worst.
Both nations hope to avoid miscommunication when discussing international economic crises, such as supply chain issues, developing technology, and spyware. However, Washington and Beijing have both reiterated that national security remains their top priority, making good-faith collaboration challenging.
Just before the American visit, China announced new restrictions on the export of gallium and germanium, two key metals necessary to produce semiconductor chips. And last week, the Biden administration considered placing additional limits on the sale of high-end chips used to develop artificial intelligence—an emerging industry the two powerhouses have raced to control.
Still, Yellen hopes to strengthen key Biden administration policies while also reassuring Beijing that the United States’ actions aren’t meant to harm the state. That means emphasizing cooperation and supply chain diversification instead of economic decoupling, demanding greater transparency from China’s new espionage law, addressing unfair market barriers against US firms, and discouraging Beijing from supplying Russia with lethal aid in its war against Ukraine—something China continues to deny doing.
China’s concerns, however, center more on past US actions. Specifically, top Chinese officials want to counter tough trade tariffs imposed during the Trump administration as well as sanctions against Chinese companies.
The United States also rejects China’s claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, where Beijing has built artificial islands and stationed naval forces. Chinese claims overlap with those of Vietnam, Malaysia and US ally the Philippines. Washington and its allies have sent warships through the sea to assert their “freedom of navigation.” Beijing rejects that and says the United States is adding to tension over the region. China also claims the self-ruled island democracy of Taiwan as part of its territory. Xi’s government has stepped up efforts to intimidate Taiwan’s elected government by flying fighter jets near the island and firing missiles into the sea. American politicians including then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the US House of Representatives have visited Taiwan in a show of support.
MATERIAL FOR TWEETS
If Yellen fails to thaw the bilateral ice, there is a possibility of the US and China tightening export controls and reduce reliance on each other, in the course splitting the world into separate markets with incompatible standards and products. That will be a disaster. As a fresh start, Yellen’s visit should pave the way for both sides to start talking on areas of common interest or neutral interest, like climate change. The contentious issues can come up for discussion in later phases.
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