US Secretary of State Blinken’s Controversial Sino-US Relations Remarks at Munich Security Conference

“In the international system, if you don’t sit at the table, you will appear on the menu.” When talking about Sino-US relations, Blinken said this. Some netizens interpreted Blinken’s original intention as: “You don’t have to choose, but you have to be on our side, otherwise we will sanction you and bomb you.”

On February 17, local time, US Secretary of State Blinken spoke at a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference. According to the transcript on the official website of the U.S. State Department, the discussion was also attended by German Foreign Minister Berberk and Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. The host asked Blinken at the scene that tensions between the United States and China are leading to greater divisions, and you are almost competing for allies: Who are our allies? We see this within the United Nations, across United Nations agencies, and across the globe. In your travels around the world, to what extent do you find yourself challenged on fundamental issues?

Blinken first answered that this U.S. government has invested and reinvested in its allies, partnerships and multilateral systems from the beginning. “The reason for this is simple: because it is in our interests.” He continued, ” Overall, we believe that our comparative advantage lies in having a strong network of voluntary alliances and voluntary partnerships. In the international system, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu. So, re-doing multilateral Contact is very important to us and we have done that.”

“When it comes to strategic competition – there is no doubt that we have strategic competition with China. There are a few things that need to be said,” Blinken continued: “First of all, we have a responsibility to manage this relationship responsibly, and I think that is what we’re hearing from countries around the world, it’s clearly in our interest to do that. That’s exactly what President Biden is doing. When it comes to other countries, the point is not to say to country X, Y or Z, ‘You have to make Choice,’ the point is to provide a good choice. If we can do that – and I believe we can, and we have and will continue to do it – then I think that choice becomes It goes without saying.”

Blinken also said that in the past six or seven months, the United States has engaged with China in a sustainable way, “I think we have brought greater stability to the relationship between the two countries, without avoiding or ignoring the fact that “Yes, we have competition, there are areas where we compete with each other, but there are also areas where we can and should cooperate because it is in our interest to do so.”

Blinken’s above remarks attracted the attention of some netizens. In the comment area of ​​the Russian Sputnik News Agency report, some netizens said, “Wow, let me understand. Either you support the United States, or you are suddenly a target? Blinken, you look a little bolder.”

On social platform X, some netizens also shared the video of Blinken’s speech. Someone left a message in the comment area, “This is simply a line adapted from a Scorsese movie.” American director Martin Scorsese has directed many crime movies and won awards.

“The U.S. Empire has turned on predator mode.”

“I couldn’t believe he would say such a thing unless I heard it with my own ears. Who would say such a thing? Darth Vader? (The villain in “Star Wars”)”

“The United States and Europe have always followed the law of the jungle.”

“You don’t have to choose, but you have to side with us, otherwise we will punish you and bomb you.”

Blinken has said this before about the competition between China and the United States. According to a record published on the website of the U.S. State Department on January 24, 2022, Blinken participated in a forum discussion via video link that day. At this forum, Blinken talked about China-related issues and the situation between Russia and Ukraine. He said that there is “both competition and cooperation” in Sino-US relations, but he also declared that “there are more and more confrontational elements.” He also warned the United States ——”If you are not at the table, you may be on the menu.” “We are at the negotiating table now and will continue to be at the negotiating table.”

Regarding the frequent exaggeration of competition rather than cooperation by some US politicians and media when talking about Sino-US relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in September last year when talking about Sino-US relations that exaggerating competition has all kinds of disadvantages and no advantages. Cooperation is a necessity, not an option. Facts have repeatedly proven that China and the United States both benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should break away from the logic of competition and confrontation, take care of each other’s interests and concerns, seek the greatest common denominator for exchanges and cooperation, draw the largest concentric circles of win-win cooperation, and jointly contribute to the development and common prosperity of China and the United States, as well as to world peace and development. Wisdom and strength.

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The British Foreign Minister visited the Falkland Islands again after 30 years. Cameron’s trip to forcefully declare sovereignty, experts said, “diplomatic show” will not help resolve disputes.

On February 19, local time, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron visited the Falkland Islands (called the Malvinas Islands in Argentina, referred to as the Falkland Islands) as planned. This is the first visit by a British diplomat to the islands in 30 years. During this trip, Cameron once again strongly declared sovereignty, claiming that as long as the island residents are willing to stay in the “British family”, then the island’s sovereignty issue “will not tolerate any discuss”.

This speech was in contrast to the politeness he expressed during his previous meeting with Argentine President Milai. After this, Cameron will visit Paraguay as planned. He will also become the first British foreign secretary to visit Paraguay.

In the face of the British whirlwind diplomatic offensive in the South American continent, Milley has not responded so far. Only local Argentine officials have responded to Cameron’s statement. Some British media analyzed that Argentina is facing heavy economic problems, which may prevent Milley from getting involved in the “war of words” over the sovereignty of the Falklands.

On the 19th, the Falklands, which has always had poor weather conditions, experienced rare sunny and windy weather. Many island residents also took the opportunity to “watch” Cameron’s visit. A reporter present jokingly said that considering that the Falkland Islands are vast and sparsely populated, with a total of only more than 3,000 residents, Cameron should have gotten to know “a considerable proportion of locals” after wandering around for a day.

In 1982, a fierce naval battle broke out between Britain and Argentina, which ended in British victory. This conflict claimed the lives of 255 British soldiers, 649 Argentine soldiers, and three islanders.

In 1983, the United Kingdom issued a bill that automatically granted residents of the island British citizenship. In 2009, British law determined that the island was a British “Overseas Dominion”. The islanders enjoyed full autonomy rights, and the United Kingdom was only responsible for foreign and defense affairs.

In 2013, the island held a “referendum.” According to statistics, 99.8% of voters supported staying in the UK, and Argentina refused to recognize the result of the vote.

After Cameron landed on the island, he immediately visited the battlefield site and paid a silent tribute to the fallen British soldiers at the San Carlos Cemetery. Some veterans who participated in the battle also attended the memorial ceremony in military uniforms. Cameron emphasized, “As long as the island residents are willing to become British, this is an important part of the British family, and there is no room for discussion on the island’s sovereignty.” He also said that if there is a problem, the United Kingdom will not hesitate to do so. hesitate to “use military force to defend these islands.”

Wang Shuo, a professor at the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said in an interview with a reporter from China Central Radio and Television’s Global Information Broadcasting that Cameron’s visit to the disputed islands was essentially a “diplomatic show” and would not help resolve the dispute.

On the other hand, in Argentina, President Milai is very “silent”. After Cameron’s trip to the island, Milais posted a number of tweets at his usual pace, talking about congressional voting, Argentine football, inflation, government budget surplus and other topics, and even shared his own interesting stories about raising a dog. TV program clips, but there is no mention of the sovereignty of the Falklands.

The only people who responded were local officials who had jurisdiction over the Falklands. Gustavo Melera, the governor of Argentina’s Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, issued a statement saying that Cameron’s trip to the island “constitutes a new provocation by the United Kingdom aimed at undermining our legitimate sovereign rights to the territory.” , and continue to maintain colonialism in the 21st century.”

Argentinian media pointed out that Milley mentioned the sovereignty of the Falklands during his meeting with Cameron last month, but Cameron did not “take the initiative” and avoided this obvious contradiction. Milley proposed during the talks that the sovereignty of the Falklands must be returned to Buenos Aires, but war is not a solution to the problem. He hopes to resolve the dispute through peaceful diplomatic means.

British media analysts believe that Milley’s current energy is completely involved in difficult economic reforms, and the verbal dispute over the sovereignty of the Falklands is not his top priority. Although the Argentine government just achieved a fiscal surplus last month, Milai’s forced massive reduction in government spending during a period of high inflation and economic downturn is bound to usher in a huge rebound. At present, Argentina’s inflation rate is still high, and the poverty rate rose to 57.4% in January this year, reaching the highest point in the past 20 years. In addition to pressure from domestic opponents, Milley also faces difficult negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. There is still a long way to go before Argentina can reintegrate into the mainstream international financial framework.

The Spanish name of the islands “Islas Malvinas” (Islas Malvinas) is derived from French, and its English name “Falkland” is derived from the word “folkland”, which means “through folk land owned by rights”. As can be seen from the linguistic complexity, there have been many disputes in the history of this land. Spain, France, Britain, Argentina, and the United States have all established settlements or conducted military operations on the island. As early as 1770, Britain defeated Spain and claimed sovereignty over the island. After independence, Argentina believed that it should inherit the rights of the former suzerain country, Spain, and also claimed sovereignty over the island.

The Falklands consists of two large islands, the East and West, and 776 small islands. The British-ruled Governor’s Palace is located in Port Stanley (called “Argentine Port” in Albania). With changes in climatic conditions and geopolitics, the Falkland Islands’ once pillar industries, such as wool farming, fishing and oil exploration, have experienced ups and downs. Now, tourism has become the most dependent industry here. On the one hand, because most of the residents on the island are descendants of Scots and Welsh immigrants who immigrated in 1833, the island maintains a relatively original British rural style, and is even said to be “more British than the British mainland”; on the other hand, with the post-war changes With the advancement of demining work in the past ten years, the living and breeding environment of penguins and other wild animals has been restored.

Today, there are more than 1 million penguins living on the Falkland Islands, making eco-tourism one of the island’s largest economic sources. Every year, many tourists come from thousands of miles away to land on the island in transit from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Enjoy the beautiful polar scenery and spectacular penguin colonies. In order to cater to market demand, the local government also often launches penguin stamps, penguin commemorative coins and other products for sale.

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2024-02-21 09:10:19