Snubbed and embarrassed from the outset when no one from the Chinese side showed up to greet him upon his arrival, Blinken spent his short time in China alternately criticizing and justifying Beijing’s dangerous policies.
The funny comment
If you’re looking for a punch line, you’ll find it in Blinken’s funny comment about the high-altitude surveillance balloon that compromised the strategic missile defense silos that protect the United States from nuclear attack.
Blinken said the “chapter” with the Chinese hot air balloon should be “closed”. He went on to unilaterally state that China must not do it again, which the Chinese simply did not recognize and agree with.
After the infamous incident with the hot air balloon that the US allowed to complete its mission before shooting it down, the Pentagon never disclosed what its tons of electronic equipment consisted of – even though almost all of it was recovered.
In the meantime, balloons or no balloons, the Chinese continue to carry out dangerous military missions around Taiwan, sending bombers and fighter jets and drones and a bunch of other military hardware.
Blinken’s response to Chinese military threats was simply to ignore them. “We do not support Taiwan independence,” he told the Chinese.
More dangerous
Did he demand that threats to the island stop and that China only take a peaceful approach to negotiations with it? Not at all, apparently. He let the fading wound fester and become more dangerous. Even while in China, military pressure on Taiwan continued.
The one thing he was supposed to accomplish during his trip, a renewed dialogue between the Pentagon and the People’s Liberation Army, did not happen.
Taiwan is extremely important to the United States for three reasons:
1. The first is that this is a democratic country that operates according to a rule of law approach, which is completely absent in China. Abandoning Taiwan, the direction Blinken seems to be headed, does not support liberal values or democracy – quite the opposite, in fact. Democratic countries in the region have been watching US behavior toward Taiwan and thinking the mantra, “I’m glad it didn’t happen to me.”
The strategic importance
2.
The second is the strategic importance of Taiwan. Its massive presence in the middle of what is called the First Island Chain (map, below) is how the US and its Asian allies and friends can contain Chinese expansion.
Lose the island and China has command of the seas and threatens US bases in Okinawa and Japan. Such a loss would strengthen Chinese territorial claims to the southern Riu Kiu islands, including Okinawa. If we lose Taiwan, we will almost certainly lose those bases.
3. The third is financial. Taiwan is in a technological goldmine of increasing importance in global competition. The grand prize is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. TSMC today produces highly sophisticated semiconductors, including high-tech artificial intelligence chips needed by industry and the military.
Disaster zone
Blinken arrived in China after its economy had turned into a disaster zone, partly because of the pandemic but also because of massive structural mistakes made by Xi and his compatriots.
When you see modern, new buildings and homes being torn down (photo, below), you know something is wrong with the economy.
Its infrastructure is also struggling because China is running out of money. Its leaders know that their country could easily spiral out of control.
That is why many Chinese government officials have come to the US to talk to banking and Wall Street experts to see if they can get help to recover.
Wouldn’t it make sense to use that paper and tell China that the US can help it, but for a price and certainly not for free? But Blinken did no such thing. He acted like he had no aces and was a student who apologized profusely for whatever it is that students apologize for, sometimes.
It didn’t accomplish anything
So his trip accomplished nothing, except to send a message to China to ignore the US government and go straight to the bankers and industrialists for help with their “problem.”
Perhaps the worst thing about this fiasco is the message it sends to allies and friends in the region, not to mention Taiwan.
When a US secretary of state can’t negotiate, can’t use his significant leverage, where does that lead states that are beginning to fear China?
Indeed, why should we forgive it for threatening Taiwan, building bases in Cuba, and sending high-tech balloons over strategic US missile bases?
