The penalty for the deal: Trump puts Beijing in a very ugly position
After Beijing succumbed to American gingerbread and persuaded Moscow (on the basis of its games with Washington) to support the American resolution on the DPRK in the UN Security Council, something happened that should have happened - the second move of the simple American two-way move: 14 of August Donald Trump signed a decree providing for an investigation into China’s possible infringement of US intellectual property rights.
As reported by the media, to organize the investigation was entrusted to the representative of the United States at trade negotiations, Robert Lighthiser. "I ordered the US trade representative to study the policies and actions of the PRC in connection with the transfer of American technology and the theft of US intellectual property," the head of the White House said. It is not excluded that, following the results of the investigation, Washington may impose restrictions on export goods, in particular, increase duties for Chinese products. As previously reported, the US president justifies his actions with the 301 article of the 1974 Trade Act of the Year, which allows Washington to restrict the import of export goods unilaterally.
By signing this decree, Trump very subtly set up our Chinese friends, partners and comrades, putting them in a very ambiguous and ugly position not only in relation to Russia and the DPRK, but also in the whole Asian region. The essence of this situational "setup" is as follows.
With all the external and public denial of G2 in words from official Beijing, it’s real, in fact, due to the military-political weakness that is still present (China is not ready, like Russia, to fight for its interests on an equal footing with the United States, for example, Syria, Ukraine and Libya show clearly) Celestial shows willingness for such an alliance. An attempt to get off with a cunning Laozin strategy — that the most remarkable victory is the one that is achieved without a real war, but only through appropriate work with the consciousness of the enemy — does not work for China in this direction. It most likely characterizes the strategy of Russia with respect to the elites of the West (we wrote about this strategy in detail in the article “Moscow provokes sanctions of the West. Why?”).
Beijing’s readiness for G2 is spoken by too many real cases and facts. For example, while Russia is subject to US sanctions, China has made serious trade and economic agreements with the United States, opening its borders to American beef.
Officials from the Trump administration have welcomed the deal as a significant step in their efforts to increase US exports and even America’s trade deficit with the world's second largest economy. The United States will also allow US companies to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China under a bilateral agreement reached after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in April. The agreement covers a number of long-standing barriers in various areas, from agriculture to energy and the activities of American financial companies in China.
Next - 14 in New York met representatives of 30 of the largest think tanks of the Middle Kingdom and the United States to discuss the “one-day program” of economic cooperation, as well as issues of global economic governance, and the first US-China dialogue on diplomacy ended June 12 in Washington and security, in which the United States was represented by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and China was represented by State Counselor Yang Jiechi and member of the Central Military Commission, General Fang Fenghui.
Third, in mid-July, the first summit of US and Chinese business leaders was held in Washington. The forum was attended by US Secretary of Economy Wilbur Ross. Chaired by American businessman Stephen Schwartzman, head of the investment company Blackstone, and Chinese businessman Jack Ma, head of the board of directors of Alibaba Group. Twenty major Chinese and American businessmen held discussions on agriculture, energy, and the financial sector and noted that the two largest economies of the planet have tremendous potential for cooperation. The entrepreneurs agreed to hold annual meetings in order to overcome difficulties in trade issues between the United States and China.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister of China Wang I. China. Beijing. 27 January 2016 of the year
That is, against the background of the growth of the Russian-American contradictions, China, on the contrary, seeks to improve trade and economic relations as much as possible and move closer to the United States. The fact that Beijing is not interested in helping Moscow get out of both the economic crisis and the US-European sanctions, experts noted last year.
So, Nadine Godehardt, an analyst at the Institute for International Affairs and Security in Berlin, notes that “Putin and Xi Jinping hold common views on many things. But they have a different agenda. Xi needs Russia to implement the Silk Road Belt Project. And Putin, first of all, would like to present the Russian-Chinese partnership as a counterbalance to the dictates of the United States. But China does not want to be drawn into a confrontation with the West because of something so insignificant, from his point of view, like the Donbass. And secondly, Moscow is interested in Chinese money and technology. The trouble is that Beijing is unable and unwilling to pull Russia out of the economic downturn. ”
And against the background of these Chinese hopes, somehow, the United States somehow slipped past the very likely trade, economic and financial sanctions, in every way enticing Uncle Sam, the United States somehow too methodically and constantly began to pedal the North Korean theme. It is clear that this is a “layout” for Beijing in order to organize indirect pressure and intellectual control over Beijing’s foreign policy decisions on a whole range of issues.
However, despite the declared strategic thinking of the Chinese elites and the preparation of this managerial skill over the centuries, Beijing succumbed to the simple and very obvious poker of the Americans. As a result, he took upon himself the mission to persuade Russia to support the August resolution of the USA on the DPRK in the UN Security Council. Let me remind you that the position of Russia was to abstain on this resolution, but the Chinese comrades assured that it was necessary, and that everything was “caught up” with the Americans, they say, we must go forward.
In this connection, is it possible to say that Russia “succumbed to the American-Chinese onslaught” in the UN Security Council by voting for the American resolution? Unlikely. First, once Beijing has expressed the wish to play independently with the Americans, to show that it is ready to play in the world's highest poker league, then there are no questions, try, this region is your area of responsibility, show that you can act as a guarantor of stability and a donor of regional security . Today only responsibility for the adoption of this resolution not only to the DPRK and Russia, but also to Japan, South Korea and other countries of Southeast Asia rests with Beijing.
Secondly, did Russia vote “against Pyongyang”? I think this question was agreed upon by our diplomats with Pyongyang before the resolution, explaining where the wind was blowing, and Pyongyang does not have any comments on this matter. Yes, I think Pyongyang himself understands everything, since he has been conducting his closed negotiations with the administrations of various US presidents for a long time. And as the analysis of the moments of the escalation of the world situation on the initiative of Pyongyang, at least in recent years, shows, they miraculously appear when it is beneficial to Washington.
As a result, what do we get at the output? What is very simple, one might say, chamber card dvuhhodovku with anti-North Korea resolution, and then a sanctions decree against China, the Trump administration once again held Beijing, behind which seems to be centuries of strategic thinking skills, and put Beijing in a very ugly light. First, all the countries of the region saw that in order to achieve unilateral benefits and advantages in dialogue with the powerful US, Beijing is ready to point out not to see the interests of other countries in the region.
Secondly, the DPRK was once again convinced that China is a situational ally, and that only Russia can provide genuine security to the country. Thirdly, I am sure that similar thoughts about the role of Russia in resolving the North Korean “problem” arose among other major players in this region - Japan and South Korea.
Fourth, Washington put Beijing in a silly position, showing that he does not care about an agreement with Beijing. Accordingly, he showed the rest of the world that Beijing cannot guarantee them anything if it is unable to protect itself from such demonstrative moves by the United States.
Accordingly, it’s not about “whether Trump and the ruling financial and industrial elite are ready to sanction the country, which in May of this year is ready. opened its domestic market for oil and gas from the United States, not to mention cooperation in agriculture, chemical industry and banking, because signing the relevant anti-Chinese decree, after which the US administration at any time can deal a very painful blow to the economies of China and its global positioning as a global power is already a serious defeat for official Beijing.
Since this is the second "click on the nose" of Beijing after the launch of missiles on the Syrian air base during the April meeting of Trump and Xi Jinping. As you know, if something happens once, then perhaps this is an accident. If the second time is a trend. The third time is already a pattern. The score of “two” in this US-Chinese game has already sounded, and while Trump is leading 2: 0.
That is, Trump quite deliberately "knocks" the current leader of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, on the eve of the October very important CPC congress in the face of party leadership comrades, exposing him in the light of the inability to conclude a long-term and stable alliance with the US, and the entire Chinese elite are shown to be “fifty years of strategic and stable relations” between the United States and the People’s Republic of China is out of the question, since the United States has only its own interests. Therefore, if in Beijing they think that having played on the blow of Pyongyang in Japan and South Korea and having struck a very strong blow to their technological competitors, they will remain in the black, then this is a big mistake.
What do we get in the end? That, having made a deal with Washington, Beijing put itself in a very unattractive light, and turned out to be extreme after Trump’s decision, while all other players received a very powerful and revealing signal about their further maneuvers in the region.
Trump's strategy is to diligently destroy any strategic ligaments of Eurasian countries, to create very flexible and short-term situational alliances. This will allow Washington to quickly create a changing picture of the world, agreements and alliances through operational actions and its agents of influence in the countries, confusing decision-makers in strategic and tactical assessment of the situation and making appropriate decisions.
Parallel to this, there will be a destruction of the atmosphere of trust between the leadership of the countries of Eurasia and the United States again shut up key decisions on the development of the region. I would not want our Chinese friends and comrades to fall for this elementary layout and get chestnuts out of the fire for Uncle Sam. It does not paint such an amazing and deep thousand-year civilization as China is. But, as you know, for one beaten, two non-beat give, and this gives reason to hope that our Chinese friends and partners will take their next steps more prudently in their American game.
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