Both Wang Yi, the State councilor of the People’s Republic of China and Cui Tiankai, China’s Ambassador to the U.S. have called on the Biden administration to respect China’s interests and its red lines. In speaking with Radio Free Asia and American Thought Leader, Miles Yu, former adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said that China has no red lines and it is just like what the Chinese are saying, “thief calling to catch a thief (賊喊捉賊).”
Yu said that Wang Yi’s remarks sound illogical. What China is facing is not simply that “the U.S. can’t stand China” but rather that “China can’t stand the world.” However, China has always been faulting the U.S for everything. It is irrational. China does not have red lines when it comes to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan. But it has set up red lines for the international community, which means that nobody is allowed to criticize China. Anyone who does so is not showing respect. He is crossing a red line. The Chinese red line is the Chinese Communist Party’s red line. It’s not a red line based upon international law or international conventions. In fact, this is a bullying behavior. The world needs to wake up to it and the U.S. shouldn’t acknowledge China’s red lines. The International community has long established that rule; it has been in effect since the 1940s. China has signed on to it, but China never follows it. China cannot kill people and commit genocide in the name of sovereignty. If China wants respect from others, it must first follow international law. China calls for “mutual respect” only to ask the international community to turn a blind eye to its violations of international law, which is unacceptable. Those tones are outdated. The U.S. government cannot walk back its China policy.
Sources:
1. Central News Agency, February 23, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202102230230.aspx
2. American Thought Leader, February 2021
https://www.theepochtimes.com/how-the-trump-administration-permanently-transformed-u-s-china-policy-former-pompeo-adviser-miles-yu_3695945.html