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Editorial: US drives a wedge between China and Russia, CCP suffers in silence | Apple Daily Hong Kong

蘋果日報 2021/06/19 09:15


By Fong Yuen
It’s just the trend of our world that peace does not last, for there has to be war sooner or later.
The so-called peace is nothing but to catch a breath between two wars. The so-called war is nothing but a periodic settling of scores between two peaceful periods.
Today, the world is facing new threats of war. Biden defined U.S.-China relations as a competitor in the realms of ideology, geopolitics, international organizations, economics, and technology. When competition is exhausted, it becomes a confrontation. When confrontation is exhausted, it is hostility. When hostility spins out of control, war is the last resort.
There could be an eventual war between the U.S. and China, and this is a pessimistic expectation. The U.S. has gathered the seven major industrial countries, the European Union, and other democratic powers on its side, and their collective strength is incomparable. The CCP had originally placed its hopes on joining forces with Russia, yet Russia has bailed, and the CCP has been left on its own.
Between the U.S. and China, success or failure depends on Russia’s attitude, and Russia’s attitude depends on one person – Putin. After Biden met with the E.U. and NATO, he set aside time to meet with Putin. If there were mutual needs between the U.S. and Russia, why bother with such courtesy?
The Secretary of Defense of the U.S. once said that the U.S. cannot afford to fight two wars at the same time. Earlier, when the Russian arm approached the Russian-Ukrainian border and suddenly retreated, Putin was doing the U.S. the favor of not putting it between two wars. Biden was relieved, and that definitely changed his views toward Biden to a certain extent. If Putin did not withdraw his troops, would he have a chance to shake hands with Biden?
The U.S., China, and Russia are engaged in the modern-day Romance of the Three Kingdoms. At this moment, the one whose move is of the most significant is not Biden nor Xi Jinping, but Putin. Putin is not someone to be sniffed at. He grasps the current situation and knows when to make a move.
The CCP had set its sight on the old and recent grudges between Russia and the E.U. and NATO to get Russia on its side for support. Should a fallout happen between Russia and the U.S., Russia must rely on the CCP’s military strength to be able to handle the U.S. and Europe. However, come to think of it from Russia’s perspective, how is giving a hand to the CCP and defeating NATO beneficial to Russia? By then, with NATO and Russia both frail, the CCP would be the one power left standing. If Russia assists in the creation of an invincible neighbor power, it will put itself in a position of servitude to the CCP forever.
Putin is no fool. Would he opt for such a brainless act? What’s best for Russia is to be an observer in the confrontation between the U.S. and China. You two go ahead with your punches and kicks. If a war is to start between the U.S. and China, the national strengths of both sides will eventually be depleted, and that is the perfect time for Russia to clean up the mess. If there is a winner between the U.S. and China, Russia could keep its strength. Isn’t that a much easier than smarter route?
For the U.S., it is essentially impossible to get Russia to be on the side of NATO. This is why before the U.S.-Russia summit, neither side expressed much optimism. However, for the U.S., there is only one goal – to drive a wedge between China and Russia, to get Putin to remain neutral in the U.S.-China conflict, to stay on the outside and not to flank the CCP. That’s all.
The threat of Russia to the European countries is mainly on geopolitics. There are many other tactics the U.S. and Europe can use on Russia, because at least Russia is not attempting an ideological expansion and ambition like the CCP. Russia, is in the end, “somewhat” of a democracy that has long given up on socialism and a planned economy. Putin is still a president elected by the people, except that he is a president who enjoys the perks of a dictatorship.
O the contrary, the CCP is ideologically a communist system and institutionally autocratic. Culturally, it has the vanity of being worshipped by nations all around, and has the ambition of dominating the world. The CCP relies on the China model of a one-party dictatorship that encroaches upon and cannibalizes Western democracies. Both China and Russia pose a threat to democratic countries, but the nature and level are two worlds apart. At the moment, Russia’s national strength is incomparable to that of the CCP. For the U.S., putting a “hold” on Russia first and focusing its energy on the CCP is the most cost-effective approach.
Biden described Russia as “being squeezed” by China, meaning that the heads of the two nations did discuss the CCP in their summit. Whatever the consensus and exchanges were in the meeting, only these two would know. The U.S. and Russia both decided to send their respective ambassadors back to their posts and discuss the “strategic balance” (an interesting choice of words). There were results from the meeting, and they will be disclosed accordingly.
Putin knows his etiquette, and is happy to score brownie points with a convenient favor. Distancing itself from the CCP, it is going to sit and watch the fight from afar or as close as it desires. With a neutral Russia, Biden is now relieved to carry on his work. Xi Jinping, on the other hand, is on pins and needles. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and this is how things will be played out.
To get Putin to remain neutral, Biden has already won by more than half. From now on, as long as the Western powers unite, threaten the CCP to abide by international rules, and contain the CCP economically and technologically, the CCP will not be able to hold out forever. In the end, if one does not kneel, the only other option is a desperate fight.
Biden has brought Europe on board, and now with Russia driven away, the biggest obstacles have been settled. The visit to Europe has indeed not been in vain.
This article is translated from Chinese by Apple Daily.
Click here for Chinese version
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