Written by: Amanda Angulo
A new ambassador of China arrived in the U.S. in July, but the niceties were soon dropped on Tuesday when Qin Gang showed himself to be a classic Chinese diplomat. During his speech at the National Committee, he claimed that the U.S. had “wrong beliefs” and even cautioned our government against violating Beijing’s “red line” of interests, such as the South China Sea, Xinjiang, and Taiwan.
He even went so far as to try to threaten the United States with their nuclear weapons. Gang warned of “disastrous consequences” if America tried to suppress China using a “Cold War playbook.”
Gang’s aggressive “wolf warrior” style of diplomacy has been increasingly seen from Beijing’s approach to the U.S. and the rest of the world. Their strategy is to try and intimidate the United States. And with Biden as president, their plan might work in their favor.
Playing an individual game of “good cop bad cop,” Qin also promised to “endeavor to bring China-U.S. relations back on track, turning the way for the two countries to get along with each other.” Good relations with China would mutually benefit both countries but, the U.S. has the bargaining power in that we are the number one consuming nation in the world. It is imperative that China does not take advantage of America, especially under a president with poor foreign policy.
Qin’s speech also offered a sliver of hope when he noted that China sees the opportunity for cooperation on issues such as climate change and containing their man-made virus, COVID-19.
While he suggested an optimistic future in foreign relations for both countries, he still largely remained focused on the dissatisfaction from China against the U.S. government. He claimed that our politicians suppress China and that we depict them as “its rival and imaginary enemy, just like when Don Quixote tilted at windmills.”
Qin Gang’s early “wolf” appearance suggests he will continue his diplomacy with much aggression and confrontation, but that cannot allow us to weaken their hand in foreign diplomacy.
Photo from: CGTN
