There is an old Western proverb that says that when misfortune strikes, they come in groups. There is a similar phrase in China called "Misfortune does not go alone". A super-secret intelligence base of the US military on the border of Syria and Jordan was attacked by Iraqi militia forces, killing three US troops and wounding at least 34. At the same time, the United States asked China to use "significant influence over Iran" to stop Houthi attacks, and the answer was "no."
Biden arranged for his national security adviser Jake Sullivan to deal with the sensitive issue of the Red Sea crisis. Sullivan is a trusted subordinate of Biden and is actively involved in his re-election campaign. Sullivan traveled to Thailand last weekend to meet with Politburo member and head Wang Yi. But he left without any indication that China was willing to use its influence over Tehran.
A senior White House ** told CNN that during a meeting with Wang Yi in Bangkok over the weekend, Sullivan urged Beijing to use "significant influence over Iran" to deter the attack.
Subsequently, a senior member of the U.S. Committee held a press conference. "Beijing says they are raising this issue with the Iranian side......But we'll definitely wait and then assess further how far we think they're raising this issue. ”
Sullivan seems to have hit a wall. This is strange because Biden should have learned from his previous experience with Beijing. Earlier, the White House urged China to persuade North Korea to scale back its nuclear program or abandon its "unlimited" friendship with Russia over Ukraine.
South Korea said on Sunday that North Korea launched several cruise missiles, continuing a series of tests that are escalating tensions with the United States, reflecting Pyongyang's efforts to expand its arsenal aimed at destroying remote U.S. targets in the Pacific, including them.
Apparently, Biden does not realize that China is not obliged to exert influence on North Korea in the interests of the United States. It is completely futile to expect Beijing to engage selectively on a number of issues with the aim of buying time for Biden to play his best role in the November elections.
What does China get in return? Biden didn't think of this question. Washington naively believes that China wants it, hence the condescending appearance.
The content of the talks released by China** did not mention the Red Sea. It only said that "the two sides also discussed international and regional issues such as the Middle East, Ukraine, the Korean Peninsula, and the South China Sea."
China doesn't even specifically mention the Houthis or Tehran! Instead, it stresses that the threat is "the biggest challenge to U.S.-China relations." In addition, it reiterated Beijing's concern about the United States using export restrictions to "contain and suppress the development of other countries."
What does this mean, China has no interest in joining the Western coalition led by the United States; Such actions would strengthen the position of the United States as a regional hegemon and weaken China's position in the region.
Despite the fact that the Chinese Navy has an anti-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden and a support base in nearby Djibouti, China has refused to participate in the U.S.-led multinational coalition to confront the Houthis. China** has repeatedly stressed that the Red Sea crisis is a "spillover effect" of the Gaza conflict, and that an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is a top priority.
Why did the United States and its Western allies miscalculate? Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this at the UN headquarters over the weekend
For 500 years, the West has ruled the world as it wishes, at the expense of others, and they believe that this should continue. This logic completely ignores the objective reality, especially since the vast majority of former colonies have gained independence, are aware of their national interests, want to strengthen their national, cultural and religious identity, and are developing so fast that they have left the West behind – at least in the BRICS countries. ”
Most importantly, Beijing will not be fooled because the United States is trying to drive a wedge between China and Iran or North Korea. China has no intention of helping the United States in the Middle East or East Asia. The international environment is quite worrying, and China has put its compass on the right side of history.