What is the intention of the US Senate delegation to visit China?
On the afternoon of October 7, a delegation of members of the U.S. Senate arrived in Shanghai, China. This is a rare move by US political circles against the backdrop of high tension between China and the United States and a serious domestic political and economic crisis in the United States. What exactly is their purpose?Will they be able to contribute to easing Sino-US relations and promoting cooperation between the two sides?Or will it intensify the confrontation between the two countries and trigger greater risks?These issues deserve our attention.
First of all, we must realize that the visit of the US Senate delegation to China comes at a very sensitive time. Relations between China and the United States have fallen to their lowest point in recent years, and the two sides have had fierce conflicts in many fields such as **, science and technology, human rights, Taiwan, and the South China Sea, imposing various sanctions and restrictions on each other. Although the two sides have also held several rounds of high-level dialogues, and even invited veteran politicians such as Kissinger to mediate, the results have not been good and no substantive progress has been made. In September, China and the United States set up two working groups to consult on climate change and the first issue, but the outside world is not optimistic about this, believing that it is difficult to resolve fundamental differences.
Second, we must understand that the visit of the US Senate delegation to China comes at a time when the United States is facing a huge domestic crisis. Serious financial, economic, and fiscal problems have arisen in the United States. The U.S. banking sector is in trouble, **on-end**, and economic data shows that the U.S. is facing a Great Recession in 2024. The debt problem in the United States is also becoming more and more serious, with old debts difficult to repay, new debts unattended, and even the risk of default. These problems have left Americans in a kind of mass crisis anxiety and a loss of confidence in the future.
Third, we should note that the visit of the US Senate delegation to China was in a turbulent atmosphere in the United States. The year 2024 is about to kick off, the struggle between the two parties is becoming increasingly fierce, and Biden's policies are being strongly blocked. Biden's proposed budget and infrastructure plan have met with opposition from Republicans and have even led to the second shutdown this year. There was also a ** within the Republican Party, where the speaker of the House of Representatives was forced out of office by his own party colleagues because he reached a temporary agreement with the Democrats.
To sum up, the visit of the US Senate delegation to China took place against a very complex background. Their purpose can be analyzed from two aspects, one is official business, and the other is private interests.
On the official side, they mainly want to reconcile the differences between the two parties on two important issues, one is Biden's budget proposal, and the other is the strategic adjustment of China. Both of these issues have a bearing on the national interests and international status of the United States, but the two parties have different views and stands, and it is difficult to reach a consensus. In particular, the strategic readjustment toward China involves US sanctions and restrictions on China in the fields of science and technology, economy, and security, as well as the coordination of US allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. These issues are all complex and sensitive, requiring adequate information and communication.
In terms of self-interest, they mainly want to seek some benefits for themselves and the interest groups behind them. Some of them are openly anti-China legislators who may have come to China to increase their political influence or to raise money for some elections. They may also be concerned about the interests of some American companies and business people in China, such as Micron, and they may ask questions about the Chinese market and policies, or try to exert some pressure.
Therefore, the visit of the US Senate delegation to China is an action with multiple purposes and significance. They first went to Shanghai, probably to get in touch with American companies and business people in China, to understand the actual situation in China, and to prepare for a subsequent trip to Beijing. They will also go to Japan and South Korea, probably to coordinate with these two US Asia-Pacific allies and partners the economic and technological strategies toward China, as well as their stance and attitude on some sensitive issues.
One might ask, since they have such a purpose, do we need to talk to them?It's better to just refuse and let them go back.
Of course, this is an understandable idea, but we think that it is better to talk to them than not to talk to them. At the very least, we can understand their real thoughts and motives through negotiations, and we can also express our positions and demands to them, and we can also avoid them from making some blind and wrong decisions due to lack of information and communication, which will cause more damage.
Therefore, we need to be prepared for the visit of the US Senate delegation to China. We must be soberly aware that they are not here to be friends with us, they are here to serve their interests and goals. We must resolutely safeguard our sovereignty and dignity, we must resolutely oppose their interference and sanctions, and we must actively promote our development and cooperation. We want them to know that China is not something they can bully and threaten at will, and that China is something they must respect and cooperate with.