US efforts to ease tensions with China are complicated by apparent differences of opinion over the commitments each side has made to the other.
Chinese officials and state media insist that US President Joe Biden made a series of promises to China’s Xi Jinping, described by Beijing as the “four NO’s and one no”, that should guide the official conduct of China. USA to China.
“I hope the US side… will stick to the consensus that President Biden and I reached during our meeting in Bali, Indonesia, and put relevant positive expressions into practice,” Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese state media. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Beijing on June 19.
Xinhua, the state news agency, said Blinken agreed that the US “will honor the promises made by President Biden.”
Going over the list of four pledges it says have been made, Xinhua reported that Blinken said 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 Taiwanese independence, and has no intention of conflict with China.”
But when asked to confirm that Blinken made those comments, the State Department referred to the voice of america to a series of interviews given by Blinken after his meeting with Xi in Beijing, as well as comments the secretary made at a press conference.
While several of the reported commitments generally reflect existing US policy, Blinken did not mention in his public comments any promises Biden has made to Xi. He did reiterate the administration’s efforts to strengthen the US technological and industrial position at home, as well as alliances and partnerships abroad.
On the Taiwan issue, Blinken said that while the Biden administration does not support Taiwan independence, “the concern we have is that China will change its policy, when it comes to resolving these differences peacefully.”
“We are using the outreach to try to advance our interests and protect them,” Blinken said of the Biden administration’s overall position toward China, including his trip to Beijing.
Policy on China
The most comprehensive description of the Biden administration’s China policy was delivered by Blinken in May 2022.
“We are not seeking to transform China’s political system,” the secretary said. “Our task is to prove once again that democracy can meet urgent challenges, create opportunities, promote human dignity; that the future belongs to those who believe in freedom and that all countries will be free to chart their own paths without coercion.”
Biden quoted in 2021
Chinese state media first cited Biden making promises to Xi when the two met for a virtual summit in November 2021.
Biden said according to China: “I would like to clearly reiterate that the United States is not seeking to change China’s political system, is not seeking to oppose China by strengthening alliances, has no intention of conflict with China, that the United States is committed to continuing his ‘one China’ policy, does not support Taiwan independence, wants to see peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
The following year, then Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi tried to invoke those points to criticize members of the Biden administration in a keynote speech delivered at the Asia Society in September 2022.
“President Biden has emphasized on multiple occasions that the United States is not seeking to wage a ‘new cold war,’ is not seeking to change China’s political system, is not seeking to oppose China by strengthening alliances, is not supporting Taiwan independence, is not intends to conflict with China,” Wang said, before expressing Beijing’s frustration.
“For two orchestras to collaborate, it is obligatory that the two conductors first establish a common tone, but at the same time, all the performers are obligated to sound their harmonious notes, according to the same set of scores. However, what I have witnessed is that Team USA seems to have been working with two templates and has failed to translate the political will expressed by its leader into logical policies, which in turn has caused confusion on the part of the people. Chinese and the people of China and various countries,” according to Wang.
“The three principles proposed by President Xi (regarding bilateral relations), that is, China and the United States must respect each other, coexist peacefully, work together to win, along with the ‘four no’s’ and one ‘no intention’ expressed by President Biden, they form a perfect framework,” Wang said.
“What the US team should do at this point is to put into practice what President Biden has said about the ‘four nos and one negative intent’ and get bilateral relations back on track,” Wang continued.
Wei Jingsheng, one of China’s most prominent dissidents now living in exile, noted the difference between a statement and a promise in an interview with the VOA.
“While the declarations are simply declarations, the word ‘promise’ implies an obligation and an agreement reached between two parties,” Wei said.
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