Rubio was clearly under a lot of pressure! After this meeting with our Foreign Minister Wang Yi, foreign media generally believe that Rubio's attitude was very calm, even somewhat abnormal. Why is that? The most obvious sign is that throughout the public speech, Rubio did not say a single hard word against China, did not make any accusations against China, and did not talk about any specific differences with China.
In previous high-level meetings between Chinese and American foreign ministers, the U.S. press releases always added so-called "six assurances" under the one-China policy regarding the Taiwan issue, such as "no side shall change the status quo," but this time, there was not a single word. As an eagle-wing politician who has long slandered us on issues such as Xinjiang and Hong Kong, Rubio did not mention Xinjiang or Hong Kong this time. Even the Ukraine-Russia issue was not mentioned in the U.S. statement. During the meeting between the two foreign ministers, behind closed doors, will they discuss the Taiwan issue, economic and trade relations, and the Ukraine-Russia issue? Of course they will!
After the meeting, can they reach some consensus? It is unlikely to have much consensus. Rubio's nature towards China is undoubtedly tough. However, this time, his calm attitude can only indicate that he is under great pressure, making him cautious in his speech. It is reasonable to guess that the most important mission for Rubio this time is not to reach a specific result on specific issues with us, but to facilitate and promote the big event of the summit between the heads of state of China and the United States.
And this big event is something that Trump cares very much about, and it is also a task assigned by Trump to Rubio, which cannot be messed up. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary complications, Rubio avoided discussing specific differences in public and kept his sharpness towards us in check. This meeting is actually a big test for Rubio himself. If his personal preferences towards our country affect the normal communication between China and the United States, Rubio may have to step aside. Don't forget, the former U.S. National Security Advisor who was removed by Trump was also held by Rubio himself.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837408589226059/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.