By Li Ping

There are two important dialogues and conversations this week for the CCP. One is the “2+2” Sino-U.S. dialogue to be held in Alaska, and the other is a discussion between Beijing officials and those from across different sectors in Hong Kong. The CCP claims that the former is a strategic dialogue between China and the U.S., while the latter is a sincere listening of opinions from all walks of life in Hong Kong on the electoral reform. In truth, the CCP habitually talks itself up in these kinds of dialogue and forums as a means of self-deception. There is no faith in its words, and all promises can be broken at any moment. The CCP is smug about these kinds of dialogue and conversation, but they are simply shameless.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China issued a statement on Mar. 11 stating that in response to an invitation from the U.S., the CCP’s Director of Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, will join U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for a meeting in Anchorage from Mar. 18 to 19 for a “Sino-U.S. high-level strategic dialogue”. Such declaration is China’s way of showing its people that this 2+2 meeting is the highest-level dialogue between China and the U.S. since Biden took office, and Biden’s administration is already giving in and returning to the track of Sino-U.S. strategic dialogues. It is yet another huge win for Xi Jinping’s diplomacy.

However, Blinken immediately followed that by stating at a U.S. Congressional hearing that this meeting was not a strategic dialogue, and the U.S. has no intention of continuing follow-up contacts at the moment. What a slap on China’s face. Blinken even stressed that prior to meeting with the Chinese, he and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will first visit Japan and South Korea. It was reported yesterday that after the 2+2 talks, the U.S. and Japan will issue a joint statement, perhaps to criticize China for unilaterally changing the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Putting two and two together, it can be seen that the Biden team is maintaining due vigilance and pressure on its dialogue with China, and has not fallen into the same Sino-U.S. dialogue traps during the Obama era, or the early days of Trump’s administration. Whether the Sino-U.S. 2+2 talk will have actual results, it has always satisfied China’s needs to talk itself up, allowing it to tell its Chinese people that it has control of the Sino-U.S. relationship. Similarly, the dialogue performance that the CCP has started to put up since yesterday with the Hong Kong representatives was also mainly to make it look good, to tell the Chinese people and even the world that it has full control of the elections in Hong Kong, and that Xi Jinping has another huge win in its Hong Kong policy.

On the list published by the state media, other than three chief secretaries of the SAR government and members of the Executive Council, there are also Legislative Council members and representatives from different industries. If the Sino-U.S. 2+2 meeting is a high-level strategic dialogue between China and the U.S., then the 1,000-person dialogue between the CCP officials and Hongkongers must be a sincere intake of opinions from all walks of life in Hong Kong. Yet, surely these appointed 1,000 people represent at most the 40% of public opinion of the non-democrats in Hong Kong, right? They are just parrots kept in a cage by Zhang Xiaoming. They are not allowed to be creative, but can only parrot the protection of the Mar. 11 decision of the National People’s Congress, or are trying to take a few more bites from the pie of the election committee.

Hongkongers are used to this kind of preaching of the imperial decree and allegiance in the name of listening to opinions performance show. In March of 2013, Wang Guangya and Qiao Xiaoyang met with pro-CCP legislators in Shenzhen to convey the imperial decree of the “love the country and love Hong Kong” patriotism. In August of 2019, Zhang Xiaoming and Wang Zhimin had a meeting with representatives from all sectors in Hong Kong to deliver the imperial decree of stopping violence and fighting chaos. In June of 2020, Zhang Xiaoming and Luo Huining held 12 seminars in Hong Kong about the national security law, to take in the unanimous support for the national security law from different sectors. These talks have become the backdrop for the CCP to promote its sincere listening of the public opinion at home and abroad. The promises made in the process, such as universal suffrage for the election of the Chief Executive, that the national security law has no impact on Hong Kong’s human rights, have all gone with the wind.

Moreover, certain political persecution fanatics have clamored that the Mar. 11 decision is a huge leap for Hong Kong towards democracy. Whoever is skeptical or opposes would lead to a violation of the national security law. As such, the Mar. 11 decision was an imperial decree, and the national security law is the plenipotentiary imperial sword that determines who would sit on the throne of the Chief Executive as well as the seats in the Legislative Council. It is also the sole decision of the violators of the national security law, and who is to be arrested, prosecuted, and put behind bars. Luo Huining said that the Election Committee is broadly representative and can transcend the limitations of the interests of a specific sector, a specific region, and a specific group. Sure, how can an Election Committee appointed by the great, glorious and correct party not transcend the limitations of the interests of their respective sectors, organizations, and Hong Kong, and place the party’s interest above all else?

As of now, it is not a Sino-U.S. strategic dialogue just because the CCP says so; the Hong Kong national security law and electoral reform, are they so because the CCP says so? It knows deep down that the effectiveness of self-deceptive dialogues is diminishing, but for show, the CCP is still going to keep these shameless talks and conversations going to save face.

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