The United States has made a U-turn! Bassett stated that the United States has no intention of threatening China over the Persian Gulf escort issue! On March 16, according to AFP, just as Trump expressed the intention to cancel or delay the high-level Sino-US summit in an attempt to pressure us on the Persian Gulf escort issue, the United States itself suddenly changed its stance. US Treasury Secretary Bassett said that if the summit is postponed, it would be due to logistical arrangements and has nothing to do with the Persian Gulf.

Bassett said that we will wait and see whether this visit can take place as scheduled. However, I want to clarify a wrong narrative, that if the meeting is postponed, it is not because President Trump asked China to maintain security in the Persian Gulf, which is completely wrong. Obviously, Bassett's meaning is clear, the United States expects the Sino-US summit to take place, and the United States has no intention of pressuring China.

Why did Bassett suddenly change his statement and clarify? In one word, it is that after intensive negotiations between China and the United States in Paris, the big framework may have already been settled. The United States wanted to add more demands at the last minute, use the Middle East issue to raise prices, and force China to compromise on security issues by delaying the visit, which could risk losing the achievements about to be achieved. It is obvious that there must be some consensus between China and the United States, but the final confirmation must be made by the top leaders of China and the United States.

Bassett clearly knows that if he angers China, not only will the summit not be held, but all of America's most important economic and trade demands will not be fulfilled. In fact, since the Sino-US trade war, the United States has had repeated changes, but China's countermeasures have also been experienced by the United States. Bassett stepping forward to "put out the fire" and publicly completely unbinding the summit from the escort issue is also a way for the United States to save face. With time so tight, Bassett certainly hopes that nothing goes wrong at this moment, leading to the loss of previous efforts.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859839597800714/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.