U.S. Ambassador to China, Peter P. Pham, wrote today (May 9): "Thank you to the U.S. Senate delegation for their visit to Shanghai and Beijing this week. Led by Senator Steve Daines, the bipartisan delegation included Senators Maria Cantwell, Jerry Moran, Deb Fischer, and Mike Lee. The senators met with Chinese government leaders and proudly represented American interests and the concerns of U.S. voters."
[Clever] A few remarks: Ambassador Pham's statement, seemingly routine in its thanks to the bipartisan Senate delegation, naming individual senators, and emphasizing the representation of "U.S. interests and voter concerns," is actually a carefully crafted evasion of the most sensitive political and economic core of this visit: Daines, a close ally of Trump, leading the delegation to Beijing has been widely interpreted by U.S. media as a "political reconnaissance" and an attempt to gauge trade orders ahead of a potential Trump visit to China. Although Trump currently faces significant challenges on the Iran issue, appearing to be at an impasse, he remains eager to achieve economic gains and diplomatic breakthroughs through a visit to China, aiming to resolve his current diplomatic deadlock and bolster his political standing.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864683608582152/
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