US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Seeks A Coalition To Counter China

DW: Pompeo seeks coalition against China's 'bullying'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has backed the UK's tough stance on Beijing, urging the international community to create an alliance against China's "bullying."

Praising Britain's response to China's controversial new national security law for Hong Kong during a visit to the UK, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed Beijing's tightening grip on the semi-autonomous city.

The world has seen "Hong Kong's freedoms crushed" and China "bully its neighbors," Pompeo told reporters following talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in London on Tuesday.

Furthermore, the US' top diplomatic official cast China as an aggressor, saying Beijing had made illegal maritime claims and covered up the COVID-19 outbreak to further its own interests, and describing Chinese Communist Party's behavior towards coronavirus as unforgivable.

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WNU Editor: China is issuing its own threats .... Pompeo’s S.China Sea declaration risks pushing China-US ties into abyss (Global Times).

More News On US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Seeking A Coalition To Counter China

U.S. wants to build coalition to counter China's 'disgraceful' menace, Pompeo says -- Reuters
Pompeo in UK calls for 'coalition' to counter China -- Al JAzeera
US Hopes to Build Coalition of States to Force China to 'Change Its Behaviour', Pompeo Says -- Sputnik

China Has A Lot Of Allies

FOX News: At UN Human Rights Council, 53 countries back China's draconian Hong Kong crackdown

The U.S. withdrew from the Council in 2018.

Fifty-three countries at the U.N. Human Rights Council, led by Cuba, came out in support of China’s national security law this week -- a law that has formed the basis of the communist regime’s latest crackdown on the people of Hong Kong.

Dueling statements were read out in the Council Tuesday in support and against the national security law. According to Axios, Cuba read out a statement in favor of the law backed by 52 other countries, while the U.K. read out a statement against it, representing itself and 26 other countries.

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Update: The 53 countries supporting China's crackdown on Hong Kong (Axios)

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. Expect this list of supporters to grow with time.

Update #2: An ominous sign on what's coming for Hong Kong .... Hong Kong security law: Pro-democracy books pulled from libraries (BBC).

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Defends His ‘Wolf Warrior’ Diplomats

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak attends the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 22, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

SCMP: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi defends ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats for standing up to ‘smears’

* Minister tells ‘two sessions’ press conference that country will ‘hit back against malicious slanders and firmly defend national honour’
* Some diplomats have adopted an increasingly combative tone that has caused increasing friction, particularly with the United States

China’s foreign minister has defended the country’s combative “wolf warrior” diplomacy, saying the country will stand firm in defending the national interest and combating “smears”.

Wang Yi, who is also a State Councillor, also lashed out at attempts to sue China for compensation over the Covid-19 pandemic, telling a press conference on Sunday that the law suits were “blackmail” and “frivolous”.

Wang was asked on the sidelines of national legislative meeting, or “two sessions”, whether China had abandoned its low-key approach in light of the confrontational stance adopted by some diplomats, who have been nicknamed “wolf warriors” after a series of nationalistic action movies.

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WNU Editor: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi may support what his "wolf warriors" are doing, but they are causing great harm in a lot of nations who are legitimately concern on what China has done, and is doing.

China's Threats To Those Who Criticize Its Handling Of The Covid-19 Coronavirus Is 'Not Working'

China has been criticised for its so-called mask diplomacy. Photo: Xinhua

Wendy Wu, SCMP: China’s aggressive approach to coronavirus criticism ‘not working’

* Observers call for Beijing to reflect on shortcomings of its engagement with the rest of the world as international sympathy fades
* Mask diplomacy and bellicose statements need to go if global relations are to improve, they say

Diplomatic advisers and observers at home and abroad say China needs to reflect on its mask diplomacy
and bellicose approach if it is to stabilise international relations in the coronavirus pandemic
era.

The calls for Beijing to rethink its engagement with the rest of the world are part of a broader discussion taking place domestically and overseas as the world’s second largest economy maps out its long-term role as a responsible stakeholder on the global stage.

China is now the world’s largest supplier of masks, protective gowns and other medical equipment in the fight against Covid-19, after bringing the disease largely under control at home. But, only a couple of months ago, the situation was reversed.

Official data showed China imported more than 2 billion masks and 25 million protective gowns between January 24 and February 29 – its darkest hour in the coronavirus fight – as it became the world’s largest buyer of protective products to meet the grave shortages of medical supplies at home.

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WNU Editor: To say that it has been a disaster for China is an understatement. Over 100 countries now want an independent investigation on how this pandemic started, and I am sure this number is going to grow with time. Do not be surprised if China changes its tactics in the coming days.

Is The Next Generation Of Chinese Diplomats 'Tough-Talking'?

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lijian Zhao suggested the US had brought coronavirus to China

BBC: Coronavirus: China’s new army of tough-talking diplomats

Once upon a time Chinese statecraft was discreet and enigmatic.

Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state, wrote in his seminal study Diplomacy that "Beijing's diplomacy was so subtle and indirect that it largely went over our heads in Washington".

Governments in the West employed sinologists to interpret the opaque signals emanating from China's politburo.

Under its former leader, Deng Xiaoping, the country's declared strategy was to "hide its ability and bide its time". Well, not any more.

China has dispatched an increasingly vocal cadre of diplomats out into the world of social media to take on all comers with, at times, an eye-blinking frankness. Their aim is to defend China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and challenge those who question Beijing's version of events.

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WNU Editor: BBC's Diplomatic correspondent James Landale calls China's diplomats "tough talking". Oh please. I have known Chinese diplomats for almost 35 years. They have always been blunt and tough. The only difference from then to now is that the media is finally reporting on it. But it is also true that some of these Chinese diplomats are now saying some incredibly stupid things that would never have made the light of day over 30 years ago when I was there. Case in point. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lijian Zhao accusing the US of bringing the coronavirus to China without any proof. This is not being "tough-talking". This is being irresponsible and buffoonish. .

China's 'Mask Diplomacy' Is Not Working

Cars drive by a billboard of Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside the words "thanks, brother Xi" written in Serbian and Chinese, in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 1, 2020. Djordje Kojadinovic/Reuters

Business Insider: China is attempting to win political points from the coronavirus with 'mask diplomacy' — but it mostly isn't working

* China has been sending medical teams and protective equipment to countries battling the coronavirus, a strategy dubbed "mask diplomacy."
* While sending medical help is inherently benign, China seems to have another motive: to win points on the world stage.
* Officials at home have been praising China's "helping hand" abroad, and diplomats are reportedly asking foreign officials to praise China in public.
* Though China's efforts have borne fruit in a few places, many are still skeptical of Beijing's motives and don't see it as a trustworthy leader in the outbreak.

Over the past few weeks, China has been sending medics, masks, ventilators, and shipments of other precious protective equipment to countries in the midst of the global coronavirus outbreak.

While the care packages will surely help those who receive them — the US, Spain, Italy, France, and Britain have all reported more than 10,000 deaths — they are likely underpinned by hard-nosed calculation.

The shipments are part of a broad effort — dubbed "mask diplomacy" to win goodwill around the world, and help establish the in the role of global leadership it has long aspired to take on.

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WNU Editor: Country's are now focused on combating the Covid-19 coronavirus, and will take whatever China (or any other country) can offer. But I expect that when this pandemic is over, countries around the world are going to ask hard questions on how did this pandemic start, and who should be held accountable. Here is an easy prediction. When this is over, all eyes will be on China.

Has The U.N. Becoming An International Body Whose Loyalty Is Towards China?

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech in the Palais des Nations at the United Nations in Geneva, January 18, 2017. © 2017 Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Politico: It's Not Just the WHO: How China Is Moving on the Whole U.N.

Despite his saber-rattling, Trump's pullback actually helps Beijing in its new, inside-baseball strategy to build influence.

President Donald Trump has decided to halt U.S. funding for the World Health Organization, accusing it of kowtowing to China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic by applauding the Chinese government’s “transparency” and uncritically accepting Beijing’s assertions, such as that the virus was not transmissible between humans. The WHO, Trump said, has become “very China-centric.”

It might be easy to dismiss this move as trademark Trumpian blame deflection or saber-rattling or shortsighted isolationism. But for people who’ve been watching China’s growing activism in the United Nations closely, the WHO’s deference to China is no surprise. In fact, it’s just the exposed tip of a dangerous iceberg — and Trump is careening straight toward it.

Beijing’s leverage over the WHO cannot be understood independently of a much longer and broader campaign, one that aims to bend the arc of global governance toward a more illiberal orientation that privileges the interests of authoritarian actors.

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WNU Editor: Being a former employee of the UN, I find it astounding on how China has positioned itself in the past two decades to hold key positions within the U.N. bureaucracy and its agencies, and/or to have its allies in those positions.  In the past a country's influence within the the UN was determined by its financial contribution. The U.S was always the biggest contributor (it still is), and it derived its influence from that commitment. No more now. And this is not a trend that started under President Trump as the above Politico article is claiming. I have been noticing this trend for almost 20 years, and during that time there has been no blow-back against this trend from the West. Will President Trump change this? I hope so. Because we now know that when an important international body becomes corrupt and/or incompetent, the price that we must all pay can become astronomical.

China Leads The World In Number Of Diplomatic Posts

The Chinese embassy in Port Vila. ABC: Nick Sas

The Guardian: China leads world in number of diplomatic posts, leaving US in its wake

Beijing opens five posts in past two years as US is caught ‘in a period of limbo’ and Australia trails at 27th

China has ambitions to rival the US as the world’s diplomatic superpower with Beijing’s foreign affairs ministry running more embassies and consulates around the world than Washington’s state department, which still has a quarter of its key positions unfilled.

The 2019 Lowy global diplomatic index maps the size and reach of 61 diplomatic networks around the world by embassies, consulates, permanent missions and other diplomatic posts.

Tracking all G20 and OECD countries, and most Asian nations, it showed an emerging China rivalling and, numerically at least, surpassing the US, caught “in a period of limbo”.

China has 276 posts, three more than the US, and 96 consulates to the US’s 88, a reflection of its emphasis on its economic and diplomatic interests.

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WNU Editor: China's global business interests is what is driving this diplomatic push. Millions of Chinese citizens are also travelling as tourists, and they have an expectation that there is a Chinese diplomatic post in the country that they are visiting. It is also a question of prestige and image. The Chinese want to be seen as a global super power, and having a fully functional diplomatic post in almost every country in the world is part of that goal.

Chinese Diplomats Are Now Using Twitter To Defend Beijing

Reuters: Move over Trump: China's tweeting diplomats open fresh front in propaganda fight

BEIJING (Reuters) - Tweets from Chinese diplomats abroad, including seasoned ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai, have opened a fresh front in Beijing’s increasingly assertive approach to diplomacy and propaganda and may be a sign of things to come.

Cui sent his first tweets just last week from his newly opened Twitter account, including one about Taiwan, the self-ruled and democratic island China claims as its own, garnering thousands of comments.

“#Taiwan is part of #China. No attempts to split China will ever succeed. Those who play with fire will only get themselves burned. Period,” Cui tweeted, after China threatened sanctions on U.S. firms selling weapons to Taiwan.

And over the weekend, a series of tweets defending China’s policies in the far western region of Xinjiang by diplomat Zhao Lijian, the no.2 at the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, lambasted the United States for its own human rights problems and what he described as hypocrisy.

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Update: Chinese diplomats take to Twitter to defend Beijing (AFP)

WNU Editor: There is already blow-back against this "Chinese Twitter diplomacy" .... Former US national security adviser Susan Rice calls Chinese diplomat Zhao Lijian ‘a racist disgrace’ after Twitter tirade (SCMP).

China Wants More Islands To Control

James Stavridis, Bloomberg: China’s Military Seeks New Islands to Conquer

Allies in the Pacific are worried that the U.S. and Europe are no longer reliable.

A Defense Department report warns that China’s military buildup is reaching the point where it can attempt to “impose its will on the region and beyond.” Visiting recently with senior officials from two U.S. allies in the region, Japan and Singapore, gave me a visceral feeling of how things look on the ground (and at sea). “We are deeply concerned about the US long-term commitment in the region, starting with troops in South Korea – especially in the face of China and their determined military expansion,” a senior Japanese official told me.

The constant refrain was simple: The West is becoming a less reliable partner. These allies are dismayed by a U.S. administration that has repeatedly criticized its closest partners and accused them of freeloading on defense. They are also worried about weakness and distraction of a Europe facing Brexit. This is compounded as they watch China increase pressure on Taiwan to accept a “one nation, two systems” deal a la Hong Kong and militarize the South China Sea by constructing artificial islands.

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WNU Editor: This should surprise no one. China wants to be a major power on the world scene, and they will need bases around the world to do so.

Australia's Former Foreign Minister Reveals How Easy It Is For China To Tell Another Country What To Do

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, and Australia's now-former foreign minister Julie Bishop, right, talk as they arrive for a joint press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. Wu Hong/Pool Photo via AP

Business Insider: Australia's former foreign minister let slip how casually easy it is for China to tell another country what to do

* A proposed trade deal between Australia and Taiwan apparently never had a chance to see the light of day, former foreign minister Julie Bishop says.
* Bishop blamed what she said was direct and constant pressure from Beijing.
* That startling concession shines light on a sobering truth: China is comfortable exerting pressure at the very highest corridors of power in order to secure its interests.

Australia's former foreign minister Julia Bishop says direct and consistent pressure from Beijing effectively skewered any chance Canberra had of even striking up a conversation with Taiwan on a free trade deal.

The startling concession highlights how Beijing is apparently comfortable exerting pressures at the very highest corridors of power to secure its interests.

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WNU Editor: Two words sums it up .... "economic pressure".

China's New Foreign Policy Tactic Is To Play The 'Victim Card'

David Bandurski, The Guardian: China’s new diplomacy in Europe has a name: broken porcelain

Beijing’s message to Sweden and beyond – criticise us, and we’ll topple your agenda – won’t win it any hearts and minds

Two days after Sweden’s election in September, a bizarre statement appeared in English on the website of the Chinese embassy in Stockholm. A “small handful of Swedish forces, media and individuals”, it said, had made “unwarranted claims” of Chinese interference in the Swedish vote. These were “groundless accusations”, and a “malicious attack and smear against China”. The strangest thing of all: no one in Sweden  had the slightest inkling what the statement referred to.

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WNU Editor: The sad part is that this Chinese tactic of playing the "victim" is working. It distracts the foreign media and governments to focus on these manufactured events, while bigger events are ignored. The Chinese also use this to whip their own population base, and to reinforce their message that the world is envious of China's success, and are putting roadblocks to its future.

Southeast Asia Is A Beijing Foreign Policy Priority

SCMP: South China Sea is Beijing’s top foreign policy priority with developing nations, US think tank says

Southeast Asia, with its close political, economic and cultural ties, is the most important developing region for China, Rand Corp says

Southeast Asia is the top priority in Beijing’s foreign policy with the developing world despite its unresolved territorial disputes over the South China Sea, a US-based think tank said.

While the United States and China are competitors on the world stage and appear to be working separately, the two powers that are currently locked in a trade war, may be able to collaborate outside Asia where they have fewer overlapping interests, the California-based Rand Corp said in a study of China’s policies with the developing world.

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WNU Editor: The current Chinese foreign policy priorities are (IMHO) .... the Silk Road, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and the U.S. - China trade war.

Chinese President Xi Tells Diplomats To Toe The Party Line

China's Ministry of Foreign Affair

SCMP: Xi Jinping puts out a call to diplomats: toe the Communist Party line

Chinese president’s latest directives seen as a bid to shore up decision-making power and override interests of agencies involved in foreign affairs.

President Xi Jinping has made a rallying cry for all Chinese involved in diplomacy to toe the Communist Party line amid spiralling trade tensions with the United States.

Analysts said the call was an effort to shore up decision-making power within the party as it seeks to override the interests of different agencies involved in the nation’s diplomatic affairs.

In a diplomatic work agenda meeting that wrapped up on Saturday, Xi said the authority of the party’s central leadership on foreign policy should be upheld, and any external work should be based on the Central Committee’s overall plan.

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WNU Editor: One of the last reforms that former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping did in the 1980s and after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 was to placate the growing resentment within the provinces over Beijing's complete control over how they could conduct deals with foreign companies and countries. This central control .... all in the name of Communist Party control .... I estimate (from my own personal experience) complicated and delayed business and commercial deals by almost one year. I saw first hand how its removal helped immensely the Chinese provinces who were geared to export their goods .... and exported they did when they were given this green light. I am surprised that President Xi has decided to go back to the old ways on how Chinese organizations and agencies can do international business. He was governor of Fujian Province from 1999 to 2002 (my old stomping ground when I worked for the FO), and I am sure that he saw first hand how liberalizing the rules on how the the provinces (and cities) could conduct international trade deals helped to develop their economies.My prediction .... Beijing foreign diplomats are going to toll the line, the problem will be on the provincial level where their foreign trade officials are not going to be happy that they must now do what Beijing tells them to do.

The Man Behind China's Foreign Policy

China's Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Qishan, the head of China's anti-corruption watchdog, attends the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 5, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee

WNU Editor: The AP is looking at the man behind President Xi .... Trusted Xi ally a rising influence on China’s foreign policy (AP). The AP is correct .... Wang Qishan is the one man that President Xi trusts the most, and he is now involved in every major foreign policy decision that China makes.

What Future Chinese Foreign Diplomats Are Being Taught

The ability to think and express the "correct" ideas is one of the most valued attributes in a Chinese student. (Reuters)

Merriden Varrall, ABC News Online: Chinese students being taught 'us and them' brand of diplomacy

Future diplomats in the Chinese foreign service are taught that a particular set of ideas and ways of thinking are "correct". Above all, they are being taught the importance of maintaining correct-ness.

While the future of Chinese diplomacy is without doubt exceptionally intelligent, talented, earnest, and hard-working, many budding diplomats have been immersed in a socialisation process that may not equip them to deal with the fast-paced global environment in which they will find themselves.

Recently, an article was published describing the global public relations challenge looming for China as its experienced and savvy diplomats age, with no clear replacements lined up to take their places. While the shortage in numbers of diplomats is important, what is also noteworthy is how new diplomats are being trained to think and operate in the international arena.

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WNU Editor: "Us and them" .... this is not going to work well (for the Chinese that is).

China's Lacking Seasoned Diplomats As It Boosts Its Global Profile

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. Wikipedia

SCMP: Is China headed for a diplomatic crisis of its own making?

As Beijing boosts its global profile, foreign policy establishment worries about ageing senior diplomatic line-up and a shortage of first-rate younger diplomats.

As Beijing seeks to accelerate China’s rise to superpower status, the expanded global ambitions set out by President Xi Jinping may have already hit a snag.

While Americans worry about US President Donald Trump’s inward-looking vision of Washington’s global role and the steep budget cuts he has proposed for the State Department, which many warn are causing a US foreign service brain drain, Beijing seems to have a talent gap of its own to deal with.

With China becoming increasingly assertive on a range of global issues, its diplomatic service is expanding at a dazzling speed.

However, the average age of China’s more than 5,200 diplomats stands at around 38, with nearly half of them below 35, mostly entry-level or inexperienced diplomats and youth hires, according to state media reports.

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WNU Editor: The Chinese diplomats that I knew in the 1980s were good. The ones I met in the UN so so. They were all over 40 .... and the senior ones were in their 50s. But reading the above report .... where nearly half of Beijing's current diplomatic corp is under 35?!?!?! Now that is a shocking change. On a side note .... the U.S. State Department has 13,000 foreign employees to China's 5,200.

China's Official Communist Newspaper Warns That: "War Is Not Far"

Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling

Zero Hedge: China's Official Military Newspaper Warns: "War Is Not Far"

"War is not far from us. Regional situations around China are complex and unstable, and dangers are hiding under the peace. China cannot afford a military failure, so we must be fully aware of potential crisis and be prepared for battle at all times. When the country is on the brink of becoming a great military power, it’s also stepping into a period with high risks to national security," the official People’s Liberation Army (PLA) newspaper wrote according to China's Global Times.

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WNU Editor: The article that raises the issue that "war is not far" is here .... PLA training hard for potential conflict (Global Times). To The Chinese there are three flashpoints where war may erupt .... (1) the Taiwan strait, (2) the Korean peninsula, and (3) against India. Speaking of India .... China Is Starting to See India as a Major Threat (The Diplomat)

A Look At How China Uses Credit To Advance Its Foreign Policy

Brahma Chellaney, The Strategist: China’s creditor imperialism

This month, Sri Lanka, unable to pay the onerous debt to China it has accumulated, formally handed over its strategically located Hambantota port to the Asian giant. It was a major acquisition for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—which President Xi Jinping calls the ‘project of the century’—and proof of just how effective China’s debt-trap diplomacy can be.

Unlike International Monetary Fund and World Bank lending, Chinese loans are collateralised by strategically important natural assets with high long-term value (even if they lack short-term commercial viability). Hambantota, for example, straddles Indian Ocean trade routes linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East to Asia. In exchange for financing and building the infrastructure that poorer countries need, China demands favourable access to their natural assets, from mineral resources to ports.

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WNU Editor: When it comes to China .... and this comes from dealing with them for almost 35 years .... I can say this without hesitation. The Chinese always attached strings when it comes to money. That is why the above analysis is spot on .... using the "debt trap" on other governments is now a Chinese foreign policy tool .... and they are very effective at that. President Trump warned yesterday that there will be consequences when it comes to aid if countries support the UN resolution condemning the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem .... President Trump Threatens To Cut Aid To Those Countries Voting Against The U.S. Embassy Move To Jerusalem (December 20, 2017). For the Chinese .... this is a given. If you do not support China, you will get no aid. But they will be willing to loan you money .... with heavy conditions attached to it.

China's Weak Spot Is Its 'Military' Diplomacy

China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier enters Hong Kong waters. Photo: Felix Wong

Cary Huang, South China Morning Post: China’s military is mighty, but diplomacy is still a weak spot

Visit to London by Chinese ships highlights growing naval ambitions – but such shows of power can also undermine Beijing’s efforts to convince the world it seeks a peaceful rise.

The sight of Chinese warships, loaded with an astonishing arsenal of weapons, sailing along the Thames and docking in Canary Wharf, London’s bustling financial hub, has caught the attention of global media. The port call last week was part of a goodwill exercise that has taken the Chinese fleet across the world.

The 26th Chinese Navy Escort, composing of two missile frigates and one replenishment ship, arrived in London fresh from port visits to Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. And before its European stops, the escort had completed a four-month mission in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. The operations were a showcase of Chinese military diplomacy, aimed at highlighting China’s mounting capabilities and its efforts to become a global maritime power.

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WNU Editor: The US has servicemen in around 800 bases in about 80 foreign countries .... China's only foreign base is in Djibouti. So for the Chinese .... if they want they want to have that type of "clout" .... they have a long way to go.