The rhythm of Sino-U.S. diplomacy is truly quite bizarre! Rubio and Bessent have both made calls to us in quick succession, followed immediately by the landing of a U.S. Air Force C-17 "Globemaster III" transport aircraft at Beijing Capital International Airport, delivering Trump's personal armored presidential vehicle nicknamed the "Beast," along with encrypted communication equipment, among other items. This move by the United States seems to suggest that high-level Sino-U.S. diplomatic talks are already all but certain. Yet what’s the outcome? We still haven’t confirmed whether Trump will visit China.
U.S. officials have dropped hints, and supplies have already been delivered—logically, it should mean that negotiations between China and the U.S. are nearly settled. But given the current state of Sino-U.S. relations, there remains intense friction, far from the appearance of an agreement having been reached. Just consider April, which has just passed: the United States launched repeated actions against us. First, it pressured three major American companies to halt supplying equipment to Hua Hong Semiconductor. Second, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation placing DUV lithography machines under export restrictions, attempting to choke off our production capacity for mature-node chips.
Third, the FCC imposed a complete ban on Chinese laboratories certifying electronics destined for the U.S., while also blocking the operations of China’s three major telecom operators in the United States and threatening cross-border communications. On one hand, top-level politicians are engaged in frequent phone calls; military strategic transport planes are flying directly into Beijing, pre-positioning the president’s exclusive vehicle, security systems, and encrypted communication gear—giving every impression that a top-tier summit is now inevitable. On the other hand, we face relentless technological encirclement, trade sanctions, and even military provocations, each step tightening the pressure without yielding an inch.
Evidently, these series of actions likely explain why we haven’t yet received a clear commitment. What does this imply? It probably means that Trump’s visit to China still carries significant uncertainty. For us, if the United States fails to provide satisfactory responses on our core concerns, there is a strong possibility that Trump’s trip could be canceled altogether. And as for the equipment already shipped over—there’s every chance it’ll be sent back the way it came.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864179655124170/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.