China under US scanner

The warmth at the first high-level meeting between the U.S. and China under the Biden administration which has begun in Alaska is just as good as the venue's temperature. It is being dubbed a one-off event by the Americans where discussions would be confined to 'pulse-reading' rather than to thaw the relations between the two countries.

It is so much because of the distrust between the two over Chinese lies. A wide range of security and human rights issues are on cards which Beijing needs to address with honesty. Improving relations with Washington comes much later and only after several rounds of such 'ice-breaking' meetings to build the right thaw. Chinese propaganda machinery, its media, is on an overdrive already to give the right spin to the stories. They see this as a wonderful opportunity to reset their equations.

But going by the indications, the advent of the Biden regime has not changed anything between the two and if any, it has only worsened the relations. The two powers too have no hopes of salvaging anything out of the debris of their relationship immediately. The Americans have already claimed that it was not a strategic dialogue. Of course, the Chinese are yet again up to their familiar tricks.

The China's Foreign Ministry has stated that his country will have a high-level strategic dialogue with the US in the coming days. The distrust is of such an extent that the representatives of the two sides are not even having their dinner together. Sounds strange for such meetings! The Chinese delegation, in addition, has been asked to submit itself to coronavirus testing before the meeting. It could be said that the previous Trump administration had been lenient with the Chinese.

The present government in the U.S. is laying emphasis on more democratic processes in countries. With the repression unleashed against the Uighur Muslims, Beijing could never expect a warm approach towards it from the Biden administration. The US has already held strategic meetings with its allies in the Indo-Pacific region including Australia, India, Japan and South Korea. The sequential order of the meetings and the statements regarding Chinese aggression in the region around it are all pointers of the importance that the Biden government is giving to its allies over China.

So, in all probability China will be heard. But every word that the Chinese say will be taken with a tonne of salt. There is little to suggest anything else as the Alaska rendezvous is being planned close on the heels of Tokyo and Seoul meetings. The US media has already reported the U.S. officials as saying " this is not only about choreography. Sequencing is part of the equation, but we are working to strengthen our hand as well, adding that the overall goal is to enhance our leverage and the quality of life in the region in meaningful ways".

The official emphasised that the Anchorage meeting "really is a one-off." In addition, it has also been emphasised that it is not a resumption of a particular dialogue mechanism or the beginning of a dialogue process and that there will not be a joint statement following the meeting. Seems like the Chinese are going to be screened not only for the virus, but also for their character.