In the wake of Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, China suspended all diplomatic talks on the issues of climate change, military cooperation, and drug networks with the United States.
Now, the lack of bilateral cooperation is likely to impact existing climate change and military agreements between the two countries, which can push the world towards more hostility.
US-China Suspends Bilateral Dialogue
According to a US studies scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Lü Xiang, China wants to send a clear message the United States should bear the consequences of the damaging relations between China and America.
While Pelosi acknowledged the “democratic values” and “self-governance” in Taiwan, the cancellation of talks between top economies of the world will pose a significant threat to the doctrine of peaceful coexistence.
#China announced 8 countermeasures against the #US in response to Pelosi’s #Taiwan visit including cancellation of talks between theater level military officials & suspension of bilateral climate change talks.
China also suspended 2,066 imports from Taiwan. 64% of all products. pic.twitter.com/mVUxMrYfLF
— Indo-Pacific News – Watching the CCP-China Threat (@IndoPac_Info) August 6, 2022
Some political analysts are indicating the United States now wants to go into damage-control mode with China after Pelosi’s visit, which pushed China to stage unprecedented military drills in the waters surrounding Taiwan.
Even though different White House officials indirectly asked China for the normalization of ties, Chinese officials remain irked.
Halting the climate talks will have far-reaching consequences for the Biden administration, ahead of the midterm elections.
The US presidential envoy for climate change, John Kerry, twice visited China last year to discuss the soaring greenhouse gas emissions.
A climate policy official at Greenpeace East Asia, Li Shuo, insisted Kerry’s visit had a high “value of engagement.”
This opened many doors for bilateral negotiations between China and the United States after the hostile behavior of the Trump administration towards the communist country.
China’s decision to suspend bilateral talks on climate change.
Beijing says it will withdraw cooperation on range of issues in retaliation for visit of US House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Russian Sergei Lavrov walked out of a plenary session. pic.twitter.com/6WFRj1Abm6
— K.G.Lodhi (@kglodhi) August 5, 2022
Drug Mafia to Benefit From US-China Tussle
In addition to that, the US and China were also engaged in high-level talks on drug smuggling at the US-Mexico border. America has long accused China of providing fentanyl access to smugglers.
Curbing the illegal flow of fentanyl remains a top priority for every government in the United States, but the termination of bilateral talks will help China in sponsoring the movement of the drug into the United States.
Meanwhile, political analysts suggest China is also expected to expand its strict travel bans on Americans residing in China now. Currently, China is detaining a slew of Americans; the suspension of bilateral cooperation will bring more misery to those people.
Last year, three Americans detained in China finally returned home after years of talks, which was considered a welcome development in Sino-US relations.
At the time of their release, an anonymous official of the US State Department told NPR China is now willing to establish a working-level relationship with the United States; so the solution to long-standing issues seems imminent.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of military cooperation between the US and China will pose a significant threat to peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
Strategic experts believe military dialogue is important these days, considering that China is conducting its largest-ever military drills in the strait of Taiwan and recently launched five missiles into the waters of Japan.
