China harks back to Kissinger Era
Photo credit Twitter @SpokespersonCHN
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, July 23: From first setting feet in China in 1971, Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, has been widely documented in the diplomatic circles of crafting a Beijing-centric worldview in Washington, and most visibly with the Democrats. But firm imprints of Kissinger Era began fast disappearing after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, while he sought to retrace his memories in Beijing with a visit to China that is raising eyebrows in the diplomatic circles.
The American politics now has a China factor, as noted by the domestic political commentators, with Beijing inviting popular aversion among the Americans. Democrats, the erstwhile China allies, are also averse to be seen friendly with Beijing. Yet, the Joe Biden administration has sent top officials in the last few weeks to med ties with Beijing even while the US State Department has claimed that Kissinger was on a private visit to the Communist nation.
Germany, a close US ally, came out with a first of its strategy paper on China in which Berlin articulated that while Beijing is now a rival for all practical purposes, the partnership is incumbent to address a host of issues, namely climate change and others. The US too appears to open the window of communication with Beijing to keep the semblance of normalcy in relations afloat.
Daniel W. Drezner, writing in Politico, suggested that Xi Jinping sought to send out a message to the US that Washington should return to Kissinger Era of US-Sino relations. “For China, it was an opportunity to suggest that they would respond better to U.S. policies that harkened back to Kissinger’s time,” argued Drezner.
The Kissinger Era meant the US abandoning Asia to China, which was seen in the aftermath of the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests by India. “Barack Obama is said to have told the Chinese to take care of two naughty boys, India and Pakistan, after the Pokhran tests. Such was the influence of the Kissinger imprints on the foreign policy matters of the Democrats,” Shashank, India’s former secretary, told The Raisina Hills.
While former Chinese ambassador to the US and the incumbent foreign minister Qin Gang remains untraceable to stoke the rumour mills, Kissinger was given audience to ‘who’s who’ in Beijing, from Xi Jinping (President) to Wang Yi (chairman of the foreign relations department of the Chinese Communist Party) and also Li Shangfu, the defence minister. Predictably, Xi and Kissinger heaped praises on each other.
While Kissinger Era in the American foreign policy, which included the Americans purging diplomats in Dhaka for exposing the horrors committed by Pakistani Army in Bangladesh, is now part of the history book, former diplomats argue that Chinese containment and management are now top concerns in Washington.
About The Author
