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Last week, two incidents related to China aroused widespread public concern in the world: one is that after three years of restrictions on personal freedom in Canada, Meng Wanzhou, the financial director of China’s Huawei, was released and returned to China. At the same time, he spy Two Canadian citizens sentenced for crimes in China were also released and returned to China at the same time. Second, after China filed an application for membership in CPTPP last week, Taiwan also applied for membership immediately afterwards. China declared its opposition to this, and Taiwan The reaction is strong.
These two events actually foreshadow two messages that are important to the world: Sino-U.S. relations and relations between China and other Western countries are beginning to adjust; secondly, China’s accession to the CPTPP has caused new problems due to Taiwan’s application for accession, how to deal with it. It involves China’s own entry, and even the ending of a new wave of international games, and the world‘s perception of China.
The focus of Meng Wanzhou’s return to China is not on herself
This time, Meng Wanzhou returned to China after three years of restricting personal freedom in Canada. At the same time, two Canadian citizens sentenced by a Chinese court for espionage were released back to China. The result was a win-win situation. At the same time, because the United States was in the process of releasing Meng Wanzhou. Dealing with it, including Biden himself, can also pass domestically politically. This result actually indicates that Sino-US relations and China’s relations with other Western countries have begun to adjust.
This adjustment of the relationship between China and the above-mentioned countries is firstly a product of the first call between China and the US dollar on September 10, or is importantly related to this. Fundamentally speaking, this is mainly the result of diplomacy between the Chinese and US dollar leaders. The current fact is also: Sino-US diplomacy is now mainly promoted by the head of state diplomacy, and the role of functional departments is actually very limited. Related to this, as China released two Canadian citizens sentenced for espionage by a Chinese court, a major obstacle to China-Canada relations was also removed. In the words of Chinese netizens: This is the Chinese ambassador who joined the red robe on the same plane, and the two released from Canada were embraced and received by the Prime Minister. The results were all very happy.
At the same time, another noteworthy phenomenon can also explain this adjustment of Sino-foreign relations, which is the management of public opinion in China regarding Meng Wanzhou’s return to China. From the day when Meng Wanzhou returned to China, the domestic media in China, especially the self-media, showed restraint. One of the main characteristics is that they rarely criticize the current US government, especially Biden himself; In the case of the boat’s return to the country, the role played by the Chinese and US heads of diplomacy, especially the personal contribution of Chinese leaders in protecting the personal safety of their citizens, is hardly mentioned. Except for Meng Wanzhou, who expressed his gratitude to the Chinese leader at the airport, none of the official media mentioned it. In the Chinese environment, this should be understood as deliberate management. The purpose is to make things end naturally and in a low-key manner. In particular, to create a good atmosphere of public opinion at home and abroad for the current adjustment of Sino-US relations.
On the other hand, the adjusted Sino-U.S. relationship and even the relationship between China and the West will face a new phenomenon, that is, under the premise of not giving up competition, game and struggle, the cooperation will still cooperate, but the competition, game and even struggle will There is also no shortage of places. And the situation is likely to be: the issue that should be co-operated on the first day still requires cooperation; but the next day, there will be competition, game or even struggle on another issue, and even the first day of cooperation, the next day, and vice versa, it will become The new normal in Sino-US relations. The author believes that this is not necessarily a good sign, because it indicates that at least the Sino-US conflict has gradually entered a manageable and controllable state. China should get used to this new normal and be thankful for it.
This may be the precursor of the “new G2” that the author has mentioned many times, that is, through the transfer and sharing of power, the realization of benefit sharing and shared responsibility. Responsibility can be an issue, or it can be a regional slicing contract; the two sides set the bottom line beforehand. This new normal in Sino-US relations may be a prelude to this situation. Because differences can be managed, the next step means the division of cooperation and interests.