What Blinken said at yesterday's
WaPo Live event (which was certainly enriched by the CODEPINK intervention re Julian Assange) was really important. In clear contrast to all the Biden admin pooh-poohing of China's 12-point peace initiative for Ukraine, here was Blinken starting to admit it might have some value!
Also saying more generally re China that:
We're in a competition with China. There's no secret about that, but we
have a strong interest in trying to make sure that that competition
doesn't veer into conflict. There's a clear demand signal from around
the world that we manage this relationship responsibly, a demand signal
on us but also on Beijing. And that starts with engagement. That starts
with communicating. It starts with trying to make sure, again, that we
don't veer into conflict. If there are areas where we can actually
cooperate, because it's in the interest of our people, Chinese people,
and people around the world, so much the better. But at the very least,
we need to have a floor under this relationship. We need to have some
guardrails on it, and the way to do that is through engagement.
I'm wondering whether the fast-approaching government-debt-limit crisis here in DC is perhaps clarifying his mind as to the need to work cooperatively with China?
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Helena Cobban
She/her/they | Honoring the lives & legacies of the Piscataways in whose lands I live