The matter starts with a statement from U.S. Treasury Secretary Basent.
This U.S. Treasury Secretary is not a fuel-saving light, he said a few days ago. He has publicly accused Chinese Deputy Minister of Commerce, Li Zhengzhou, of being very impolite in the negotiations.
According to Besson, The main responsibility for the failure to achieve any substantive progress in previous rounds of negotiations lies with China, especially the questionable attitude of Li Chenggang.
Generally speaking, even if the negotiations are not smooth, everyone will keep basic diplomatic etiquette and will not bring internal differences to the table.
Besson did that. Obviously, they want to force China to make concessions, or at least change a negotiating representative, through public opinion pressure.
This strategy of the United States is actually quite smart.
They know that China cares very much about its international image, especially in such high-quality negotiations, where it is passive if it is labeled “unpolite.”
Besent probably thought, If the Chinese side can be changed to a negotiator who can speak better, the subsequent negotiations may be easier.
China’s response was unexpected to many.
According to the general routine, in the face of such public criticism, China may consider adjusting the composition of the negotiating team, at least making some gestures on the surface.
Results At the beginning of the fifth round of negotiations, Li Zheng Steel still appeared on the negotiating table, and it looked like he was still in a good state of mind.
The negotiations were held in Malaysia, where Malaysia, as a Southeast Asian country,ins a relatively balanced relationship between China and the United States, choosing to negotiate here, to some extent also reflects the ambition of both sides to have a relatively neutral environment.
It is said The first day of talks lasted five and a half hours,This length of time shows that the two sides do have a lot of issues to discuss.
And judging from the situation after the meeting, Li Chenggang's performance was quite confident and his mentality was not affected by the US criticism.
This transmitted a very clear signal: China will not easily compromise under pressure from the United States.
In this tense atmosphere, some changes in Trump’s expression have attracted a lot of attention.
The biggest change is him. When talking about some international issues, start using words like “help” rather than the threatening tone before.
Especially on the issue of the Russia-Ukraine warTrump’s remarks are concerned.
He previously basically viewed China as a subject of pressure, but now begins to say that China needs help to solve the problem.
These changes in the wording are actually very significant in diplomatic occasions.
There is news that Trump may hold a meeting with senior Chinese officials on October 30th.
If the news is true, it shows that the U.S. really wants to push the problem to a higher level.
After all, in the current situation, relying merely on sectoral negotiations may be difficult to make breakthrough progress.
At the same time as the negotiations are ongoing, military moves cannot be ignored.
The Wall Street Journal recently: Trump intends to have the U.S. Navy build a so-called “Golden Fleet.”
Although the Pentagon has not disclosed specific planning details, the news itself is enough to attract attention.
In terms of time, the release of this news is obviously not coincidental.
At the critical moment of Sino-US trade negotiations, news suddenly emerged that the US military would strengthen its naval construction. It is difficult to say that this is not a means of pressure.
In particular, given the sensitivity of the Taiwan Sea region, this military move can easily be interpreted as a deterrent against specific areas.
But from another perspective, This practice also reflects some anxiety on the part of the United States.
If the negotiations were really going well, they probably’t take such a military move at this time.
This may indicate that the United States is not particularly optimistic about the prospects of negotiationsAt the same time, they are prepared on the military level.
During this negotiation, The issue of rare earth minerals is considered to be a particularly difficult nut to crack.
This issue involves the core interests of both countries. It is difficult for the United States to make concessions on this issue, and the same is true for China.
The position of rare earths in modern industry is really irreplaceable.
From mobile computers to military-industrial equipment, almost all high-tech products are rare.
China has obvious advantages in rare earth mining and processing, which has also become an important trump card for China in negotiations.
The United States obviously realized the importance of this issue, so it insisted on it particularly during the negotiations.
They do not want to rely too much on China on this critical issue, which explains why negotiations have been so difficult.
Both sides know the proportion of the problem, and no one is willing to make easy concessions.
Judging from the current situation, Sino-US relations are indeed at a relatively delicate stage.
On the one hand, Both sides strive to resolve differences through negotiation.This indicates that everyone wants to avoid further deterioration of the relationship.
On the other hand, All kinds of small tricks and pressure means have not stoppedThis in turn shows that the complexity of the problem is far beyond imagination.
The addition of this new variable in the Russian-Ukrainian war complicated the whole situation.
The US has begun to seek China's cooperation on this issue, which may provide a new opportunity for the improvement of bilateral relations.
If room for cooperation can be found on this issue, perhaps it will have a positive impact on the resolution of other differences.
The key is to control all kinds of extreme tendencies.
Whether it is excessive pressure on economic and trade issues or excessive military reaction, the situation may develop in an uncontrollable direction.
Especially on sensitive issues such as the Taiwan Sea, any negligent action can have serious consequences.
As the two most important economies in the world, the course of relations between the two countries affects not only the well-being of the two peoples, but also global stability and development.
Although differences and competition are inevitable, rational dialogue and pragmatic cooperation are the right way to solve problems.
It is hoped that both sides can handle their differences with a more open and constructive attitude and make due contributions to world peace and prosperity.
Source of information:
U.S. Treasury Ministry Official Statement - Treasury Secretary Bessent openly criticized China's official statement on the issue of the attitude of China's negotiating representative Li Jingsteen
China's Commerce Ministry's Deputy Secretary of Commerce Li Zhengzhou continues to participate in the fifth round of China-US trade talks
Bulletin from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia-Official information on the fifth round of China-US trade negotiations held in Malaysia and the duration of the talks
White House Press Secretary briefing -President Trump's latest statement and wording changes on seeking China's help on the Russia-Ukraine issue
Exclusive Wall Street Journal report - Authority news source for Trump administration plans to build U.S. Navy's "Golden Fleet"
Pentagon's Defense Ministry Statement - Official Response Statement on the Naval Fleet Construction Plan
Preview of China-US High-Level Meeting-Trump's Diplomatic Schedule for May Meeting with China's High-Level Officials on October 30