The movie "Shuimen Bridge of Changjin Lake" was very popular during the Spring Festival, and many viewers were moved by the heroic spirit of the volunteers. As the world's top military force, the U.S. Marine Corps was powerless in the face of the iron-blooded spirit of the Chinese people, and fled in embarrassment.
This is reminiscent of the tension between China and the United States in recent years, and the increasingly assertive status quo of China's diplomacy, which makes people deeply feel that the tragic war paid a huge price for peace and development.
Peace does not come out of nowhere, but needs to be fought to be fought and maintained. Therefore, respect needs to be earned through strength.
The U.S. Navy visited China for the first time in 1986, when China and the United States were in the early stages of establishing diplomatic relations. In the diplomatic arena, the contest of strength and struggle between countries is often more intense than on the battlefield.
As far as China is concerned, as a country of etiquette, there is no room for sloppiness on major diplomatic occasions. What really happened to this awkward visit, and what was the result?
It turned out that after the US Navy entered the port, their arrogance caused our disgust. We returned fire with a front-on, and immediately withdrew the welcome guard of honor.
This incident reflects the diplomatic collision and game between China and the United States, and also demonstrates China's determination and courage in safeguarding the dignity and image of the country. Although there is confrontation and conflict between China and the United States, there is also cooperation and exchanges between the two countries.
For example, the visit of the US Navy was a good interaction between China and the United States after the establishment of diplomatic relations. Although the visit ended in an awkward end, it also gave us a glimpse of the diplomatic challenges and opportunities between China and the United States.
In the past, the theme of U.S.-China relations tended to revolve around ideological struggles and confrontations. However, with the transformation of the world landscape in the early sixties, this situation began to change.
At that time, the United States and the Soviet Union, as global superpowers, were both vying for world hegemony, but the United States was temporarily at a disadvantage. At the same time, China has been widely praised in third world countries, and through unremitting efforts to restore its legitimate seat in the United Nations, its international status has been further enhanced.
The United States gradually realized the failure of its foreign policy of isolating China and began to consider improving Sino-American relations. China also urgently needs to break the blockade of the West and develop its economy. Since the beginning of the 70s, there has been frequent interaction between the top leaders of the two sides.
In 1972, Nixon's visit to China broke the long-term isolation between the two countries, and Sino-US relations entered a "honeymoon period".
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in 1979, exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in various fields have gradually deepened. The first visit of the US Navy to China has opened a new chapter in cooperation and exchanges between the two countries.
Therefore, both China and the United States attach great importance to this visit. The top admiral of the US delegation was Admiral Lyons, commander of the Pacific Fleet, while the Chinese Navy appointed the commander at the time, Admiral ***, to be in charge of the reception.
The two sides are completely equal in terms of etiquette specifications and strictly abide by international practices. Our side has even made various preparations in advance and is ready to greet the arrival of the US Navy with the highest courtesy.
However, the start of the visit did not go well. After the three US Navy ships sailed into the port, our side noticed a situation and immediately ordered the entire guard of honor to be withdrawn.
In November 1986, Admiral Lyons, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, led the USS Reeves missile cruiser and two frigates, a total of 894 people, to Qingdao Port.
The North Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy, under the leadership of Admiral ***, has made preparations to welcome them, and the honor guard is ready to welcome guests from afar in the port after many exercises.
However, when the U.S. Navy's ** got closer and closer to the port, the officers and men of the Chinese Navy were surprised to find that their ** was not fully flagged. Flying a full flag is the highest etiquette of the navy, and under normal circumstances, when visiting the ports of other countries or participating in major diplomatic occasions, it is necessary to display a full flag to show respect.
The requirement for a full flag is to be connected from the bow to the stern through the mast, and all the flags should be hung with the signal flag, and the order of arrangement is strictly regulated, which is the international etiquette.
This move by the US Navy is undoubtedly a slap in the face to itself, failing to observe international etiquette and leaving an embarrassing impression on the Chinese Navy. This reminds us that we should observe etiquette and respect others at all times and in all places.
** On behalf of the Chinese Navy, the admiral raised his grievances to the US Navy with firm determination and dignity. In their opinion, the behavior of the US Navy does not conform to conventional diplomatic etiquette and is even a bit arrogant.
The admiral said that the Chinese side will resume the welcoming ceremony only when the US Navy's flag is full. Admiral Lyons of the U.S. Navy tried to explain their negligence, but the Chinese Navy firmly refused.
In the end, the U.S. Navy had to spend an hour full of flags as a sign of respect for China. In the process, Admiral Lyons's face was somewhat embarrassed.
After the welcoming ceremony, Admiral Lyons led the team on a tour of the Chinese Navy's most advanced equipment at the time, the Project 051 Dalian destroyer. For this exhibit, the American unceremoniously commented: "This is the best preserved antique we have ever seen in our lifetime**!"
This may sound harsh, but it is also true. The displacement of the Project 051 destroyer was just over 3000 tons, while the displacement of the American missile cruisers reached more than 8000 tons.
The fundamental difference is that all the US first-class ships use modern equipment, such as computer ballistic calculations, radar aiming, laser aiming, etc., and their strength far exceeds that of medium-sized ships. However, shame followed courage.
It was this first visit of the US Navy to China that gave the Chinese Navy a glimpse of its powerful military strength and stimulated the development and progress of the Chinese Navy. In this sense, the Chinese Navy not only did not fail in its mission, but was given a free opportunity to learn and improve.
History has proven countless times that the saying "a weak country has no diplomacy" is accurate. In the late Qing Dynasty, the begging diplomacy adopted by China plunged into the abyss of semi-colonization step by step.
In the "diplomatic activities" again and again, the diplomatic envoys sent by the late Qing Dynasty constantly apologized to the foreign powers, and even relied on foreigners everywhere in diplomatic activities and acted according to their intentions.
Even an envoy like Li Hongzhang had to be subject to the Englishman Hurd and the German Brilliant Lin. This is the sorrow of a weak country, and this is the lesson of history.
* During this period, China had no place in the international community and had no say in foreign affairs. In 1919, when the Treaty Conference was held at the Palace of Versailles in Paris after World War I, China, one of the victorious powers in World War I, was asked by the Great Powers to transfer pre-war German privileges in Shandong to Japan.
As the "No. 1 diplomat", Gu Weijun relied on his in-depth study of international law to deliver a wonderful debate on the issue of sovereignty in Shandong, which left the Japanese speechless, but did not fundamentally change the state of affairs.
When the Treaty of Versailles was signed, my representative refused to sign it. Gu Weijun said bitterly: Chinese will never forget this day.
In an era when countries are weak, even having fluent English and excellent speaking skills cannot change the reality that weak countries have no diplomacy. As Jiang Yanhuang did at an international conference, only a few people paid attention to him, despite his eloquence.
Although the Japanese governor is not fluent in English, the great power of his country has made him receive more attention in the international community. Roosevelt's point-to-the-point comment revealed the embarrassing situation in which a weak country cannot gain an advantage in the international community.
A Syrian representative to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, has gray hair, bows his head in contemplation, and his eyes are full of helplessness and helplessness. He has just spoken at the conference, satirizing the air strikes of Western countries only against civilians, which won the approval of many people, but it could not stop the air strikes of the United States, Britain and France on his homeland.
This is undoubtedly a realistic version of the lack of diplomacy of a weak state. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, under the guidance of the premier's policy of "independent and equal diplomacy", China was gradually recognized by the international community.
At the Bandung Conference in 1955, the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" were proposed, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, which won universal respect and recognition from all countries in the world.
China has successfully resolved most of the border issues left over from history, established diplomatic relations with most countries in the world, and is increasingly influential in the world. Today, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have been accepted by most countries and have become the universal norms of international diplomacy.
After the reform and opening up, in order to create a good international environment and concentrate on economic development, China adopted a diplomatic strategy of "taoguang and nurture obscurity". However, the hegemonic nature of the United States has never changed, and it has repeatedly challenged China, created incidents, and brought many painful incidents to China, the most well-known of which are the "three great national shames of the Republic": the Yinhe incident, the plane collision incident in the South China Sea, and the bombing of the embassy of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.