Looking Back at Blinken’s Trip to Beijing

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, 2023. Leah Millis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently completed a “chief supplicant” mission to Beijing on June 19.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a supplicant as “a person who asks a god or someone who is in a position of power for something in a humble way.” Who could argue that Blinken acted otherwise? During the brief trip, he apparently made no “big asks” in representing U.S. interests and concerns vis-a-vis the Chinese communist belligerence in East Asia and elsewhere around the world and possibly gave Chinese leader Xi Jinping perhaps even more than he had hoped for.

Let us examine the topic in hindsight.

The Optics

The Biden administration’s China policy can be construed as “talk-talk,” that is, simply communicating without regard to actions or outcomes is of supreme importance. Never mind the historical instances in which other countries used “talk-talk” strategies to camouflage real intentions right up until the moment of a military attack. Examples of this include the nearly continual Nazi-Soviet diplomatic dialog prior to the Wehrmacht’s launch of Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, and Japanese Ambassador (and retired admiral) Kichisaburo Nomura’s disingenuous discussions with Secretary of State Cordell Hull and other U.S. diplomats in the months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Xi probably could not have choreographed Blinken’s trip any better from his point of view. It is no secret that the Biden administration seeks to reset U.S.-China policies to the engagement paradigm that existed before the Trump administration, with no limitations on Beijing’s behavior whatsoever. Blinken’s visit to Beijing reflected this desire and gained nothing of substance except a last-minute photo op with Xi. A photo op is no substitute for negotiations on difficult issues of importance to Americans, which is what should be expected of a U.S. secretary of state.

Acquiescing to Blinken’s trip was one of Xi’s infamous “win-win” scenarios (with the usual Chinese characteristics): Blinken got his photo op, he confirmed several points of critical importance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the communists themselves gave up nothing. And the optics were delicious for Xi as he sat at the head of the negotiating table, which gave the appearance of presiding over some of the diplomatic exchanges.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (4th L) attends a meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping (R) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, 2023. Leah Millis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden State Department apparently values senior-level military-to-military chitchat over diplomatic pushback on demonstrated Chinese belligerence, for example, the Chinese surveillance balloon’s violation of U.S. airspace in early February, the Chinese destroyer’s violation of international maritime rules in crossing the port bow of a U.S. destroyer at close quarters on the Taiwan Strait on June 3, and the FBI’s disclosure in April of at least seven clandestine Chinese “police stations” operated in the United States by the CCP’s United Front Work Department who spy on and harass Chinese-Americans and others in the United States. Blinken failed to revive military-to-military talks during his trip to Beijing.

The Giveaways

During his trip, Blinken didn’t gain much other than a short list of CCP demands necessary for future “talk-talk” progress. Blinken has been widely quoted as informing Beijing that “We [America] do not support Taiwan independence,” which most sage observers view as a green light to communist China to invade Taiwan at its leisure. This dangerous statement was sandwiched in four promises that Chinese state-run media Xinhua claimed were made by Blinken: “[The United States] does not seek ‘a new cold war,’ does not seek to change China’s [political] system, does not seek to oppose China through strengthening alliances, does not support Taiwan independence.”

In fact, these four “no’s” are the exact opposite of what must be done to curtail Beijing’s belligerence and aggression while giving opposed minorities hope for an end to their persecution by the CCP. The CCP has been at war with the United States for over a decade. The CCP must be displaced and deposed to enable the political self-determination of the Chinese people and a real opening of China. Strengthened alliances with countries in East Asia and South Asia are imperative in counter-balancing the Chinese military’s aggressive moves in the region. And the Taiwanese right to self-determination should be defended.

Expectations

Improving bilateral relations is the responsibility of the United States, according to the Chinese regime. In fact, the CCP has set expectations for future discussions that were buried in the “candid” and “constructive” talks between Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing, including “respecting China” and its legitimate rights and interests (as defined by the CCP), stopping the “suppression of Chinese technological development” (through trade sanctions), stopping U.S. interference in China’s internal affairs, and ending individual sanctions on senior communists.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang ahead of a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 18, 2023. Leah Millis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Do these things, said Qin, and China will be happy to give you Americans the talk-talk you desire, free of charge. Oh, and China will be happy to take as much foreign direct investment from American and multinational corporations; thank you very much. Don’t bother us with your concerns about human rights in China, Chinese involvement in fentanyl and precursor chemicals production, Chinese balloon overflights through U.S. airspace, clandestine Chinese police stations in the United States, relentless Chinese spying in America, or the Chinese military’s encroachment in disputed waters and islands in East Asia claimed by Japan, the Philippines, and other countries. And the “one China” principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués are sacrosanct and locked in stone. We will be happy to discuss measures that benefit Chinese trade and commerce. This is Chinese win-win diplomacy!

Concluding Thoughts

Not one substantive issue was discussed with China’s leadership during Blinken’s two-day visit to Beijing. In particular, there was no insistence by the United States that China adheres to the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act that obligate all parties to a “peaceful resolution” of Taiwan’s future. The visit was a public relations triumph for Xi Jinping, with a U.S. secretary of state shaking his hand in a last-minute photo op. The psychological interpretation was unmistakable.

Meanwhile, at the insistence of the CCP, future talks will depend on Washington meeting Beijing’s preconditions: respect for China (and its definition of “legitimate interests”), ending talk about the “China threat,” ending sanctions and tariffs, and restoring trade relations to status quo ante 2017. Given the Biden administration’s “talk-talk” priority, the CCP will likely throw the United States a bone by acceding to the resumption of military-to-military talks (which costs them nothing) in exchange for a real concession from the United States.

Concessions to the CCP in the face of its continuing belligerence are a recipe for disaster. The Biden administration needs to stop the “talk-talk” and start defending the United States on all levels.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.