The thrashing received by the US at Alaska sent a message to the rest of the world. The United States of America has surrendered. China blasted the message time and again after the meeting that the United States can no longer dictate terms to it. It is true as, since the Alaska episode, China has grown increasingly aggressive and has been hitting out at the US and its closest allies in a way that many had believed to be unprecedented before.
Both Canada and the EU, have looked towards the USA for leadership. The US’ weak surrender has put its allies in Chinese crosshairs and China is not shying away from pulling the trigger. The Chinese delegation was looking for blood in Alaska as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi clobbered US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The Chinese side emerged triumphant as could be seen by the body language of the US representatives who looked like they were torn apart from head to toe. Now the repercussions of that thrashing are visible on China’s dealing with the US allies.
The attacks on the US did not stop with the meetings. China found a nerve, which was exposed by the US administration itself and pressed it and has kept pressing it ever since. US President Biden has criticised his own country over the issues of race and gender. China just kept going for the same and criticised the US for being a white supremacist on the international order. In response to Xinjiang allegations, the Chinese side took up the issue of the BLM and Antifa protests.
The United States has nowhere to run. The Biden administration has made the US vulnerable, so much so that China has also accused the US of the pandemic. Moreover, the paper dragon sanctioned US officials in retaliation for US sanctions on Xinjiang.
Now, let’s talk about Canada.
Two Canadian citizens are currently undergoing trial in China where they have been restricted from accessing consular services and the trials will emerge on them facing jail time in China. One of them was a Canadian diplomat and the current Canadian representation in China have been denied entry to the trials. Moreover, China sanctioned Canadian officials when a group of countries sanctioned it on Xinjiang and now in a social media attack, a Chinese diplomat referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “boy” and Canada as a “running dog of the US,” marking a new low in the strained relationship of the two countries.
China’s consul general to Rio de Janeiro, Li Yang blamed Trudeau for the diplomatic crisis between the two countries. He tweeted, “Boy, your greatest achievement is to have ruined the friendly relations between China and Canada, and have turned Canada into a running dog of the U.S.”
Boy, your greatest achievement is to have ruined the friendly relations between China and Canada, and have turned Canada into a running dog of the US. Spendthrift!!! pic.twitter.com/qWCfJH4bYb
— Li Yang (@Li_Yang_China) March 28, 2021
The derogatory word “running dog,” a remnant of Maoist China, is often used to describe countries that are subservient to countries such as the US.
China certainly seems to have grown in stature after the Alaska meetings with the EU as well. The European Union has signed a massive investment deal with China which will come into effect at a later date. During the negotiations, China had to accept every term and condition the EU imposed. At the same time, the European Parliament had condemned the atrocities in Xinjiang. But, China kept quiet.
Things have certainly changed now. The European Union was one of the parties which had imposed sanctions on China. Surprisingly, China hit back at the European Union with sanctions of its own. In response to EU sanctions against Chinese officials over alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang region, China blacklisted ten EU individuals and four entities.
So, after getting thrashed and humiliated in Alaska, severe repercussions have come to light. The US seems to have finally realised that China needs to be held accountable. Antony Blinken finally had the gall to take on and push China on the issue of coronavirus. But it could certainly be the case of too little too late.
Moreover, China’s aggression seems to be growing. With so many points of contention across the globe, the US needs to come to the fore because China seems to be enjoying its diplomatic victory and is certainly using its newly found pseudo-superiority to punish those US allies who have stood strong against it.
