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US-China Relations - 21. page

China’s Think Tank Report on Sino-U.S. Relations after the Russian-Ukraine War

The Chongyang Institute of Finance at Renmin University of China published a research report on May 30, titled. “The Great Siege: An Assessment of the Progress of U.S. Policy Toward China Since the Russia-Ukraine Conflict and China’s Response.” The report said that the Russia-Ukraine Conflict didn’t delay the United States from implementing comprehensive competition against China. The U.S. recently adopted an “integrated deterrence” strategy against China  and has sped up its strategic containment of China. By May 16, the U.S. had taken  24 actions to suppress China in the fields of the economy and trade, finance, ideology, military technology, and geo-politics. Though the U.S. called its strategic competition “integrated deterrence,” it has actually been conducting a “great siege” against China.

It listed five points related to the U.S. actions:

  1. Speed up building a small “Indo-Pacific economic and trade circle” (excluding China).
  2. Apply financial pressure on Chinese companies listed on the U.S. stock markets; threaten to freeze China’s assets outside China, and restrain American companies from investing in China.
  3. Attack China on the grounds of ideology .
  4. Stir up the Taiwan issue using the “salami slicing” method (advancing the U.S. position in small increments).
  5. Suppress China’s advancement in the military technology field.

Overall, the Biden Administration defines the Sino-U.S. relations as competition and its hard-line position will not change in a short period. The chance of a China-U.S. collision is increasing. There are three possibilities for the China-U.S. game:

  1. A high intensity game: China and the U.S. have a A full military confrontation.
  2. A mid-level intensity game: China and the U.S. gradually decouple.
  3. A low intensity game: The tension between China and the U.S. becomes the norm.

The report made the following recommendations:

  1. Create an anti-blockade and anti-sanction plan in the economic, trade, and finance fields. Develop Asia-Pacific regional cooperation to counter the U.S. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
  2. Create a strategy to strengthen domestic finance.
  3. Speed up progress toward energy independence  and create a strategy to build self-sustained energy.
  4. Proactively define the agenda to lead the rhythm of the Sino-U.S. media fight.
  5. Talk to the world about the damage that would result from “Taiwan Independence” to prevent the U.S. from playing the Taiwan card against China.

It calls on China to give up the illusion that it can avoid strategic competition against the U.S., develop a bottom-line plan in case of a military showdown with the U.S., and proactively build the Sino-U.S. relations while adapting to the new norm of tense relations.

Sources: SINA, June 1, 2022
https://finance.sina.com.cn/china/2022-06-01/doc-imizmscu4593936.shtml?cre=tianyi&mod=pchp&loc=35&r=0&rfunc=30&tj=cxvertical_pc_hp&tr=181,

USCC: China’s Interest in the U.S. Agriculture Industry

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) published a report that China is investing in the U.S. Agriculture industry in order to mitigate its own food shortage. These investments reduce Beijing’s reliance on imports and help China to obtain modern agricultural technologies. The report examines the main areas of Chinese investment in the United States, including land, livestock, grain, and relevant infrastructure, such as agricultural equipment and technology. It also presents considerations for lawmakers regarding further Chinese integration in the U.S. agriculture sector.

Source: USCC, May 26, 2022
https://www.uscc.gov/research/chinas-interests-us-agriculture-augmenting-food-security-through-investment-abroad

LTN: Pompeo Said Blinken’s Speech Underestimated the China Threat: the CCP is Evil

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a policy speech on China on May 26 in which he criticized China for its increasing threats to Taiwan, emphasizing that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan will remain unchanged. In addition, he also said that the United States avoids seeking conflict or creating a new Cold War situation. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said bluntly that Blinken’s speech was like diplomatic rhetoric and underestimated the threat of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Pompeo said in an interview that the Chinese Communist Party intends to cause damage to the United States, ranging from the Chinese military, cyber-attacks and economic plunder. He did not feel that Blinken’s speech made the core point, which is that the CCP is evil. If it is only seen as related to the international order, then Chinese leader Xi Jinping will recognize the U.S. signal as a green light. Some observers have expressed the belief that a cold war is real and that China wants it to get worse. America needs to wake up from the fog of peace and confront the looming threat from China.

Source: LTN, May 28, 2022
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3941821

Airbnb Shutting Down Its China Domestic Business

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) recently reported that Airbnb will officially close its domestic business in China. Nearly 150,000 listings and experienced businesses in China will be taken offline completely. Only the outbound international business will be retained. This is expected to be completed this summer. Airbnb’s future presence in China will be composed mainly of engineers involved in the research and development of global products and technology projects, as well as the business and customer service teams responsible for Airbnb’s Chinese users’ outbound international travel. The total staffing level will be around several hundred people. In recent years, China’s domestic listings and experience service business has accounted for less than one percent of Airbnb’s global revenue. Airbnb set up a small-scale team in China in 2014. It officially launched its business in the Chinese market in 2015. The Covid pandemic did disruptive damage to the entire travel industry, including online short-term rentals. Airbnb is essentially the last large-scale U.S. Internet business that will have left China.

Source: Sina, May 24, 2022
http://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/csj/2022-05-24/doc-imizirau4437577.shtml

The United States Clarified that China Has Long Misrepresented the U.S.’ “One China” Policy

Ned Price, a Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated, on his official Twitter account on May 20, that the United States stated openly that China has long been misrepresenting the U.S. “One China Policy.”

“The PRC continues publicly to misrepresent U.S. policy. The United States does not subscribe to the PRC’s “one China principle,” We remain committed to our longstanding, bipartisan one China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.”

On its official Twitter account on May 22, the U.S. Embassy to China published  the Chinese translation of Ned Price’s statement.

Polygraph.Info, Voice of America’s lie reporting website, explained how China misrepresented the U.S. “One China” Policy:

The 1972 Shanghai Communiqué issued at the end of then U.S. President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China stated:

“[T]he United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States does not challenge that position.”

The U.S. said it “acknowledges” the Chinese position but did not endorse it. Using similar language, a 1979 normalization communiqué establishing U.S. – China diplomatic ties also did not state affirmatively that the U.S. recognized Taiwan as part of China.

However, the Chinese side used the verb “recognize” (承认) instead of “acknowledge” (认识) in the Chinese text of the 1979 joint communiqué. The Beijing has since kept saying the United States recognizes “one China.” The Chinese text did stay faithful to the verb “acknowledge” in the 1972 Shanghai communiqué.

Sources:
1. Twitter, May 22, 2022


2. VOA, October 11, 2021
https://www.polygraph.info/a/factcheck-one-china-policy-principle/31499875.html

Lianhe Zaobao: Survey Showed COVID Measures Are Stifling U.S. Companies’ Confidence in China

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that a survey that  the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham) released showed that, due to China’s COVID prevention measures, 58 percent of the surveyed U.S. companies in China have lowered their revenue forecasts for 2022. More than half (52 percent) of the companies have postponed or reduced investment in China. The survey was conducted from April 29 to May 5. A total of 121 U.S. companies in China participated in the survey. The results showed that core employee shortages and supply chain disruptions are currently the biggest challenges for U.S. companies in China. More than 15 percent of U.S. companies with operations in Shanghai said their operations in Shanghai have been completely closed since the outbreak in March. In terms of supply chain challenges, 61 percent of respondents cited disruptions to transportation networks as the main reason. On the side of competent workers, 49 percent of the respondents said that, due to the COVID policies, foreign talent is less likely or refuses outright to relocate to China. Some have planned to leave China permanently. Colm Rafferty, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said in a statement, “This year’s revenue forecasts are down, but what’s more worrying is that chamber members don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.” He mentioned that two former AmCham China presidents recently faced challenges when they traveled to China from the U.S. One completed a 22-day quarantine in Shanghai and another 15 days in Beijing before being freed. The other just completed a 43-day quarantine and lockdown in Shanghai. He then choose to fly directly back to the U.S.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, May 10, 2022
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20220510-1271090