The appointment of Xie Feng as China’s new ambassador to the US has raised concerns about his priorities in relations with the Biden administration. Upon his arrival in Washington, Xie launched two open letters addressed to “Chinese compatriots” and Chinese students in the US, in which he requested their support for the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its policies. This follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call last July for the ethnic Chinese diaspora to support his “national rejuvenation” drive, and has raised concerns that Chinese students in the US may face greater scrutiny from the CCP. Xie has been described as the “wolf warrior of wolf warriors” by Craig Singleton, the senior China fellow and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been pursuing its Pacific Island diplomacy. They have successfully extended two Compacts of Free Association, agreements between the US and the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, giving the US the right to deny outsiders access to the two countries’ waters and airspace in exchange for government services, financial assistance and visa-free migration. The deals are set to expire this year, and the administration is negotiating a similar deal with the Marshall Islands. Joseph Yun, who the State Department appointed in 2022 to oversee the negotiations, said this was critical to US national security. Additionally, Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape, which is seen as an implicit response to Beijing’s security pact with Solomon Islands.
Chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party, Mike Gallagher, has criticised the Biden administration’s approach to China. He argued that the administration is reviving detente and economic engagement as core pillars of its strategy vis-à-vis China, which he sees as a mistake. Gallagher believes that collaboration between the Western powers will not reduce CCP aggression, nor will engagement be successful in influencing China on human rights violations. Gallagher also highlighted concerns about critical minerals, and the US’s reliance on China for them, saying that the US will need a “Mobilisation Act on steroids” to resolve this.
Finally, a book titled “Beijing’s Power Play: Realising China’s Maritime Ambitions in East Asia” warns that China is “forging a new maritime order in East Asia.” The book encompasses the historical roots of China’s maritime strategy, as well as discusses the principles and visions underlying the maritime strategy, and the steps taken by China to achieve these objectives. The book argues that China is seeking to establish dominance in the region through diplomatic and military pressure, pointing to its actions in the South China Sea as evidence.
