One would be hard-pressed to describe US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken as competent of effective, but in fairness he is mostly given impossible missions and often sees his work undone by the chaotic Joe Biden administration from hell.
We don’t need a thousand words to establish that, because Blinken himself has told us everything we need to know by his facial expressions here, after he worked hard to set up a bilateral summit between Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping, only to see his effort trashed in a second by the ‘self-propelled grandpa’:
The trip seemed doomed from the start, and indeed it began in a humiliating fashion: when leaving his plane in Shanghai, Antony Blinken was greeted without a red carpet, and met by Shanghai Party Committee and Politburo member Chen Jining – a very low level local official.
This is the diplomatic equivalent of a slap in the face – protocol dictates the head of the State Department should be met by the Minister of Foreign Affairs – but things were about to get even worse.
Watch: Blinken arrives in Shanghai: no red carpet, low-level official receives him.
Blinken arrives in Shanghai: no red carpet, low-level official receives him. pic.twitter.com/xVcjh3TXnl
— Paul Serran (@paul_serran) April 27, 2024
Blinken soldiered on, and the meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi want as badly as one would expect, with the Chinese diplomat openly displaying the adversarial tone of the meeting, saying that the US ‘should not interfere in China’s domestic affairs or suppress its development’, nor should it cross China’s ‘red lines’.
Sputnik reported:
“China’s demands are consistent. It always advocates mutual respect for core interests. The United States should not interfere in China’s internal affairs, should not suppress China’s development, and should not cross Beijing’s red lines regarding China’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” Wang said as quoted by China Central Television (CCTV).
China’s legitimate rights to development are being constantly suppressed and its core interests are being challenged, the Chinese Foreign Minister emphasized.
Wang said China-US relations are facing various obstacles, ‘with negative factors that continue to grow and accumulate’.
Blinken, of course, presented his own list of grievances, stating that the United States is ready to take new measures and impose sanctions against China against the background of the situation in Ukraine.
“If China does not take measures to solve this problem, the US will do it [impose sanctions].”
pic.twitter.com/yZDeERh1o6
— Paul Serran (@paul_serran) April 27, 2024
Of course, Blinken could not convince China to stop helping Russia, or achieve any progress in the bilateral relations.
He said Russia is using Chinese products to build up its military industry.
“Beijing will not be able to achieve improved relations with Europe by supporting the greatest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.”
The meeting with Xi Jinping was the most embarrassing moment of the trip, when the Chinese leader was caught on camera impatiently asking an aide: ‘When will he leave?’
‘This evening’, an official answered.
The footage goes on to show Blinken entering the room and trotting towards Xi, who extends his arm the least amount possible, in a clear body language sign of control of the situation, and of lack of respect and appreciation towards the US diplomat.
Xi: ‘When will he leave?’ Aide: ‘He is leaving this evening’. pic.twitter.com/S7YRVCyc75
— Paul Serran (@paul_serran) April 27, 2024
To top it off, Blinken’s departure from China was even more melancholic: NO OFFICIAL CHINESE REPRESENTATIVES attended, and he was seen off by the U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns.
The post HUMILIATION: Secretary Blinken’s Hostile Reception in Failed China Trip (VIDEOS) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.