Memo to Antony Blinken: Distrust but verify

The US Secretary of State is going to Beijing to mend relations that have gone from bad to worse. But the last thing he should be thinking about is friendship. For Xi, diplomacy is war by other means.

“We allowed Nixon’s visit, not in the slightest due to positive feelings toward the US…They are unable to use us. Rather, we can use them…” -Geng Biao

by Philip J Cunningham

The Chinese media was reluctant to confirm US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing, and now that the visit is on, state media will do its best to do Xi’s bidding and control of the narrative, telling China’s story well by portraying the American Secretary of State as a supplicant to the wise and magnanimous realm of Xi Jinping, seeking avuncular advice while offering apologies for past US behavior.

Foreign Minister Qin Gang said as much in his phone call to his American counterpart. Qin’s “advice” to Blinken on the art of diplomacy was simple; you are wrong and we are right. It’s the US that’s at fault.

“It’ is clear who is responsible,” railed Qin, according to the read-out, who went on to blame the US for serious provocations, while heaping praise on the blinkered diplomatic vision of his…