| US President Joe Biden (left) and President Xi Jinping. © AFP=News1 |
Conflicts between the US and China are intensifying ahead of the UN General Assembly, which will begin in earnest on the 20th. It is not an exaggeration to say that we are fighting virtually without gunfire in all areas, from military and security issues such as the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea issues to economic fields such as trade and industry.
The Joe Biden administration, which had a humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, is rapidly shifting its attention to the Indo-Pacific region and concentrating resources on a three-dimensional mass containment in earnest.
China is not backing down. China strongly opposes the U.S. move to contain China and responds by strengthening relations with neighboring countries as well as the international community.
◇ U.S.-China relations are heading towards a harsh atmosphere… “Enemy country, dictator”, “Shut up” until the end
According to foreign media on the 18th (local time), the relationship between the US and China has gone beyond conflict and is heading towards a harsh atmosphere.
US destroyers are emphasizing ‘freedom of navigation’ and going in and out of the Taiwan Strait, which China strongly opposes.
Here, as well as officials from both countries, President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who have built close friendships as vice presidents and vice presidents of both countries in the past, are not hesitant to criticize each other.
US officials such as Secretary of State Tony Blincoln de facto define China as an ‘enemy’ and criticize China for ignoring international rules. They are being slaughtered.” China’s new ambassador to the US, Chin Kang, said that the US government should stop exacerbating the situation and said, “If you can’t resolve disagreements, please shut up.”
The relationship between the leaders of the two countries, who have formed close friendships for a long time as vice presidents and vice presidents in the past, is not even cold. Since President Biden took office in January, the two leaders have yet to hold a summit, and have only had two phone calls.
Since taking office, President Biden has identified China as America’s “biggest threat,” and Xi responded by saying, “If anyone fantasizes about touching China, his head will be shattered and he will bleed.” President Biden openly accused Chinese President Xi Jinping of being a “dictator” on the 11th (local time), just two days after speaking with Xi for 90 minutes.
 |
| U.S. President Joe Biden announces the launch of the trilateral security partnership, Orcus, during a joint video press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the White House in Washington, DC, on the 15th (local time). © AFP=News1 © News1 Reporter Dongmyeong Woo |
◇ Following Trump, the Biden Administration continues to contain the public… From Quad Upgrade to Orcus Launch
The US check on China is based on the strategic judgment that China’s growth in the Indo-Pacific will undermine US leadership in the international community and pose a long-term threat to the US. President Biden’s speech on the withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of last month is in line with President Biden’s remark that “we are in serious competition with China. We must strengthen America’s competitiveness in response to new challenges.”
Yes, the Biden administration has overturned most of the policies of the previous Donald Trump administration since its inauguration, but in fact, it is the only one that has maintained the same stance in terms of public policy. The only difference is that while the Trump administration harshly created tensions with China with former President Trump’s characteristic ‘war-like words and actions’, the Biden administration is taking a method of tightly weaving a siege to the masses based on ‘cooperation with the alliance’.
In particular, since taking office, the Biden administration, which has focused on domestic issues such as response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and economic recovery, and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, seems to have begun to contain the public in earnest.
Since taking office, President Biden has upgraded the Quad with India, Japan and Australia to a top-level meeting, and the first face-to-face summit will be held on the 24th. In addition, on the 15th, ‘AUKUS’, a new security alliance with the UK and Australia, was launched. In particular, as the first initiative of Orcus, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to support the development of nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian Navy.
Quad and Orcus are, in fact, strong in the nature of a security council to contain the public in the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, the White House draws a line on the launch of Oucus, saying, “(Occus) is not about any one country,” but the US media said, “It is an attempt to contain the rise of China’s military and technology sectors in the Indo-Pacific region. movement” analysis.
In addition, the US House of Representatives is discussing the inclusion of South Korea and Japan in the ‘Five Eyes’ alliance (US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand), which is the US’s confidential information sharing alliance. This means that the US military and security cooperation for the ‘blockade of China’ is progressing in all directions.
President Biden is expected to focus on public containment during the UN General Assembly, which begins in earnest on the 20th. After his debut speech at the UN General Assembly on the 21st, President Biden will hold the Vaccine Summit on the 22nd and the Quad Summit on the 24th.
 |
| Chinese President Xi Jinping said on July 1 that the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China had “realized a full-scale xiaokang (a life of abundance for all)”. © News1 |
◇ China and the US focus on making a breakthrough in the blockade… Strengthen diplomacy with neighboring countries and expand influence on the international community
The Chinese government is also focusing on strategies to break through the US lockdown policy. While strengthening diplomacy with neighboring countries, they are concentrating on devising ways to expand their influence in the international community.
The recent visit to South Korea by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the first time in 10 months is such a strategic dimension. Wang met with President Moon Jae-in and others, saying, “China and South Korea are close neighbors that cannot leave each other and are partners that realize win-win.” Director Wang also expressed discomfort, dismissing the discussion of ‘expanding Five Eyes’ as “a product of the old-fashioned Cold War.”
When the United States announced the launch of ‘Ocus,’ China vehemently opposed it, accusing it of “very irresponsible” and “Cold War mindset.” China sees the establishment of Orcus as applying the same method the US used to contain Russia in Europe after the Cold War to contain China in the Asia-Pacific region.
In particular, China is blaming the US for transferring nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia for the first time in 63 years since 1958, saying that “a nuclear submarine trade could make Australia a potential nuclear war target.”
At the same time, China retaliated by applying for accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which the United States refused to join. Although the Chinese government maintains that this application for membership has nothing to do with the launch of ‘Ocus,’ China’s application for membership in the CPTPP is interpreted as a counter-response to the launch of Orcus by the United States.
 |
| © News1 Designer Eunhyun Lee |
◇ South Korea growing burdened by escalating U.S.-China conflict Sandwich? Strategic Opportunity?
As the level of the US-China conflict rises rapidly, the burden on the Korean government, which has close relations with both countries, is bound to increase.
In the absence of dialogue between the U.S. and China leaders, the level of tension between the U.S. and China is expected to rise until the G20 summit to be held in Italy in October.
As a result, the South Korean government may have to walk a tightrope between the Biden administration, which says that “Korea-US relations are as strong as a rock,” and the Chinese government, which is making warning statements about ‘mutual respect for core interests’. The possibility of being in a sandwich situation cannot be ruled out.
On the other hand, some observers observe that, referring to the process in which Australia obtained cooperation for nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and the United Kingdom during the launch of Orcus, it may be a good opportunity for the South Korean government, which wants to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, to obtain strategic advantages. .
Right now, it is highly likely that the US will be negative with its ‘nuclear non-proliferation’ principle, but it is determined that the US’s perspective may change if the threat from North Korea’s SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile), etc., and China’s ocean expansion continue.
gayunlove@news1.kr
