The first face-to-face meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Rubio took place on the last day of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting as scheduled. The bilateral meeting started at 3 p.m., and after the media entered to take photos, the venue was cleared immediately, and the closed-door talks began, lasting about an hour. It wasn't long, nor was it short.

By contrast, the U.S.-Russia foreign ministers' meeting lasted 50 minutes, and the subsequent statement issued by both sides was by no means lacking in content. This shows that an hour is enough to discuss many things, provided both sides have accumulated sufficient consensus; otherwise, it's just a case of talking past each other.

【U.S. Secretary of State Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held their first bilateral meeting】

News about the U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting did not come as a surprise, thanks to the prior groundwork by various media outlets and the U.S. Department of State, which had prepared the public to some extent.

When the U.S. and Chinese foreign ministers arrived in Malaysia to attend a series of ASEAN multilateral meetings, many people realized the possibility of holding a bilateral meeting.

Moreover, recent progress in the trade agreement between the two countries has been relatively smooth, and the leaders of both countries have extended mutual invitations for visits. Therefore, the basic conditions for holding this foreign ministers' meeting were quite mature.

The U.S. started to leak information about the U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting a day in advance, but initially could not provide any specific details.

There is a detail here: After Rubio finished his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, when asked whether he would meet with the Chinese foreign minister, he only replied, "We are trying to arrange it," and said that if they met, what issues would be discussed.

【The U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting started at 3 p.m. on Friday】

This means that at that time, the U.S. didn't know for sure whether Rubio could meet with Wang Yi, so he could only use a tentative tone.

Although they were eager to end Rubio's diplomatic debut in the Asia-Pacific region with this meeting, the decision-making power did not lie with the Americans.

It can be seen that after China agreed to schedule the meeting, it also gave the Americans a sense of relief.

It is clear that both China and the U.S. wanted to arrange the meeting on the last day. We had attended the multilateral meetings and met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov before meeting with Rubio.

Although this was the first foreign ministers' meeting between the U.S. and China after the U.S. government change, it would naturally be a major event in any setting. However, given the current atmosphere between the U.S. and China and Trump's previous actions toward China, the message conveyed externally could only be a brief one: that the U.S. and China would continue communication.

【This ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting was Rubio's diplomatic debut in the Asia-Pacific region】

However, China does not want symbolic high-level diplomacy without practical results; instead, it seeks substantive dialogue that can solve real problems. Rubio clearly cannot fulfill this task, and it is not a priority for the Trump administration.

Furthermore, Rubio is not only the U.S. Secretary of State but also a pro-China critic who has been sanctioned by China. Unlike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State during Trump's previous term and made various anti-China remarks, Pompeo was sanctioned by China after leaving office.

As for Rubio, he had already been on China's sanctions list for five years before being nominated as Secretary of State by Trump. Half a year ago, during a phone call between the foreign ministers of China and the U.S., we even urged him to "behave himself."

【Rubio, like Pompeo, is on China's sanctions list】

The U.S. still sticks to its usual clichés, and Rubio insisted on challenging China over the Ukraine issue. However, this part was briefly covered in our statement as "exchanging views." Although it was the first foreign ministers' meeting between the U.S. and China after the White House changed hands, the U.S. position brought nothing new to us. What Rubio would say was all predictable.

Trade disputes and the Taiwan issue are the key areas of concern for China. On the former, Rubio is not a professional negotiator and has no authority to speak, while on the latter, more sensitive issue, he cannot represent Trump's position.

We also understand that the Trump administration will continue its consistent "strategic ambiguity."

It is necessary to clarify that the U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting discusses bilateral political relations and exchanges views on regional hotspots. However, the differences between the U.S. and China on these issues will be more complex and acute than trade disputes.

At least, both sides can partially resolve trade issues through negotiations. However, when it comes to so-called "strategic competition" between the U.S. and China, and issues such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, there is no "roadmap" available.

Meanwhile, we can also see that over the past period, Rubio's presence in U.S.-China relations has been very low, which is inconsistent with his position as Secretary of State. This says a lot.

Even though Rubio currently serves as the U.S. National Security Advisor, it's unclear whether Trump is fully confident in entrusting him with coordinating U.S.-China interactions. Even if the U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting was held, whether Rubio's Asia-Pacific trip would conclude smoothly remains to be seen.

【Before the U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting, Rubio had a low presence in U.S.-China relations】

Incidentally, this time, Rubio participated in the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, claiming to reiterate the U.S. commitment to promoting a "free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region." This phrase has often been used before, usually serving as a cover for the U.S. building a containment ring against China, and has become a footnote to the "global alliance" of the past.

Therefore, this statement from the Trump administration sounds out of place, especially considering its "America First" approach has already become well-known.

Moreover, recently, Trump announced high tariffs on ASEAN countries, and Rubio could not simultaneously seek to build a containment ring against China while ignoring the tariff issue. The U.S. is now very good at self-deception, but other countries do not have the "leisure" to do so.

To sum up, will the U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting pave the way for subsequent high-level interactions? It's too early to draw conclusions. The atmosphere and tone of interactions between the two countries are not determined by one or two meetings.

After the trade war, U.S.-China interactions will inevitably remain in a very delicate atmosphere for a long time, and trials and confrontations on other levels will never cease.

Previously, there were reports that the U.S. government was considering arranging Trump's visit to China, with several American business executives accompanying him. However, both sides have remained very cautious about this, and neither side wants to reveal their true intentions about U.S.-China relations too early.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7525756141835239972/

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