Xi-Biden create amity, Amboys act up

THE heavy iron-grilled gateway to 21st Century global peace and prosperity can only be opened by the powerful arms of two superpower nations – China and the U.S. For the past ten years the world seemed to be locked into a growing “cold war” or limbo of a “hot peace” as the US tried to contain China.

Then came the new Biden administration, sworn in January 2021 and sending out mixed signals on US-China relations starting with an acrimonious Antony Blinken-Yang Jiechi Alaska sparring in March 2021. For ten months the US sized up China while the latter defended its “red lines” but in September and October positive signals followed, US Trade Secretary Katherine Tai hinted at “recoupling” and US NSA Jake Sullivan met Chinese Minister Yang Jiechi in a more positive atmosphere.

The US, facing grave inflation, economic and political (remember Trump?) crises, now needs a more amicable relations with economic powerhouse China. Besides, China has shown in its words and deeds that it “does not seek hegemony” and has “no intention to fight ‘a Cold War or hot one’ with any country.” But it would neither be bullied nor suffer another “century of humiliation,” from any Western power.

Watch the “Democracy Now” interview, titled, “Historian Alfred McCoy Predicts the U.S. Empire is Collapsing as China’s Power Grows” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HendU4zRg9A&t=165s).

McCoy, who also chronicled EDSA I, reports that “the Pentagon has war-gamed a war over Taiwan between the U.S. and China and in the last 18 of these war games the U.S. has lost 18 times.” The author of “Can America and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap,” Graham Allison, cited the same.

The U.S. internal debate is now focusing away from DonaldTrump’s “American exceptionalism” to the realist view which accepts America’s real problems and its need for a modus vivendi with China.

US inflation which is now running at 6 percent and highest since 1990, could trigger a social revolution and cannot be tamed with the high tariffs on Chinese goods, while hundreds of billions of profits of American companies in China is sorely needed.

The fountainhead of U.S. diplomatic ideas, the Council of Foreign Relation (CFR), summarized it as “Jaw Jawing as Success” whiles China’s authoritative and vocal national newspaper, Global Times, declares the talks “injects certainty into bilateral ties” as the world witnessed Biden call for “guardrails” to avoid slips and slip-ups in the relations of the two superpowers while Xi made the China’s “red lines” crystal clear to avoid misunderstandings.

The Xi-Biden meet cleared the dust from years of tension, raised hopes for improving ties while agreeing on cooperation on issues such as Climate Change and the pandemic response.

On Taiwan, Biden reiterated the ritual statement of opposing “unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” while Xi warned that encouraging independence would be “playing with fire” – a fair warning to nuisance elements as Alfred McCoy and Graham Allison reports.

But nuisance and malicious illegitimate elements there will always be, such as U.S. and Western politicians taunting with visits to Taiwan.

Here in the Philippines, the predictable and routine tomfooleries of the discredited and dwindling but still present Amboys (American boys) scattered around Philippine political, bureaucratic and civil-society circles continue to concoct every so many months stories and situations to provoke controversy and tension in Philippine-China relations.

The latest Amboy stirrings started with the Philippine Council of Foreign Relations (PCFR), which became Amboy oriented after former chair and genuinely independent Ambassador Jose V. Romero passed away in 2018/

Its current board member, retired Gen. Edilberto Adan, called for the renewal of the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty claiming “China winning territorial ‘war’ without firing shot…” as the Manila Times headlined his appeal.

This headline was followed a few days later by a reported incident alleging Chinese Coast Guard fired “water cannons” at Filipino resupply ships to the Philippine Navy ship, “Sierra Madre” which was deliberately ran aground at the Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to establish the Philippines’ claim to the area.

This incident was followed by a diplomatic protest from Amboy Secretary Teodoro Locsin mentioning the Ayungin incident as covered by the MDT. The timing and sequence lead me to believe this is all scripted.

Imagine these ridiculous Amboys egging Filipinos to raise tension and conflict with China when even the US is cautioning itself against any further aggravation of tension with China?

What ridiculous and irresponsible bunch of fools these are.

(Samahan si Ka Mentong Laurel at mga panauhin sa “Power Thinks” tuwing Miyerkules @6pm Live Global Talk News Radio (GTNR) sa Facebook at sa Talk News TV sa You Tube; at tuwing Linggo 8 to 10am sa RP1 738khz AM sa radyo).