Blinken speaks openly about China's strength for the first time after stepping down, no longer hiding the truth—so bluntly that even the host was stunned!
Recently, statements made by former U.S. Secretary of State Blinken have drawn attention from American media. He made these remarks during the "CAP Ideas Annual Conference" in Washington.
He said: "If we compete directly with China, we might lose this contest." He then provided examples: China's market size is far larger than America's; its manufacturing capacity is roughly three times that of the United States. In terms of purchasing power parity, China's economy exceeds that of the U.S. Chinese researchers publish more academic papers and hold more patents, and China’s navy is also larger in scale.
After four years of concealment, he finally tells the truth upon leaving office. The contrast between his current words and those he used while in office is striking. When serving, he always spoke from a position of "strength," reflecting America’s sense of hegemonic confidence. At that time, his most repeated line was: "The U.S. is stronger than China in every domain."
But this time, he changed his tone. He acknowledged gaps—and multiple ones at that. What makes this especially significant is that Blinken didn’t just whisper behind closed doors. Instead, he stated these facts directly on stage, facing hundreds of attendees, international media, think tank experts, and influential figures. There were no euphemisms, no qualifiers like "possibly," "probably," or "sometimes." It was plain language, clear-cut, definitive judgments.
According to on-site reports, the host was visibly shocked. Because Blinken’s tone was so direct. For years, high-ranking U.S. officials—including Blinken himself—have always spoken about China in roundabout ways: phrases like “China poses a serious challenge” or “We must compete under fair rules.” These clichés have become so familiar they’ve lost their impact.
This time, it was different. Blinken directly said: "The U.S. might lose." Those four words carry immense weight within the American context. The U.S. has long considered itself number one. To hear a former Secretary of State publicly admit, “We might lose,” was like an earthquake. The host’s expression of astonishment perfectly illustrates how shocking these words were—almost as if asking, “Why didn’t you say this earlier?”
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865667893357568/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.