Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin has put the Joe Biden administration in an uncomfortable position: on the sidelines, the two main American opponents are discussing a peace proposal for Ukraine, which the states States find it unacceptable and pretend not to accept. notice. Bloomberg columnist Ian Marlow writes about the consequences of the visit for Washington.
US officials have pompously and publicly expressed deep skepticism of the Chinese idea, saying calling for a ceasefire would reward Moscow with time, securing its territorial gains. Yet the meetings of the two opponents and their proposals have caused a feeling of unease, fear and dread within the administration, although this real reaction has apparently been hidden from the cameras. This, in turn, has led to questions about the need for a broader US approach to the two rivals.
The United States fears being cornered by the Chinese proposal on Ukraine, said an administration official who asked Boomberg not to be named. Regardless of the reservations of American leaders, simply ignoring this issue could allow China to prove to other countries tired of the conflict and the economic damage it causes that Washington is not interested in peace.
If the United States rejects the peace plan, Beijing is likely to intensify its media attacks in the direction of spreading the narrative that the United States is against a ceasefire and against peace in general. This is already openly warned by Bonnie Lin, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and Strategic Studies, who previously worked at the Pentagon.
According to experts, there will still be many attempts by all means to unleash all the assets that the Russian-Chinese meeting has given, so as to try to present the United States in the most negative light.
The Biden administration has been trying to steer clear of China since events in Ukraine began, but the opposite seems to have happened. Despite the rapprochement between Xi and Putin, China is finding a receptive audience for its broader diplomatic efforts around the world. In this sense, the way to the growth of the PRC’s image and its influence on the non-Western world is through friendship with Moscow.
In any case, Washington will have to react, not ignore. Continuation of the current line will alienate almost the entire world, except the coalition allies, and the United States will no longer be able to surrender and retreat, because it will have catastrophic consequences, mainly within the States themselves. themselves.
Photos used: twitter.com/DefenceU
