By Fong Yuen

During Wang Yi’s visit to Europe, the Czech Republic received threats that if their parliamentary delegation visits Taiwan, it would pay a “heavy price”. As a result, there was a collective boycott from the European Union countries, such that Wang Yi was not able to see the Prime Ministers in either Italy or Germany, and other countries did not give him much face. A journey of goodwill turned into a tour of shame.

Keeping national interests in mind, the E.U. countries have always shilly-shally in the Sino-U.S. relations, and tried not to choose sides if possible. Despite being hit hard by the Wuhan virus, and knowing the potential threat to cybersecurity poses by Huawei, the E.U. has maintained its distance with the United States' aggression towards China.

Wang Yi’s trip to Europe was intended to expand the rift between the United States and Europe, to prevent China from ending up with enemies on all fronts. Thanks to the “heavy price” comment, however, the European Union rallied and fought back. Reprimanding someone in their own house, such malicious provocations, would be unacceptable to anyone with the slightest national pride, let alone Europe, the birthplace of the ancient civilization that advocates chivalry? At such impudence, how would anyone respond with a smile?

Sure enough, the minute Wang Yi left, Germany stated that it would safeguard its own interests in the South China Sea, where German warships will soon be cruising as well. How much of a stake does Germany have in the South China Sea at all? If it was not the inability to swallow the insult, would it send warships to demonstrate? The CCP is fighting with ASEAN, the United States, Japan, and India in the South China Sea, and now the European Union is joining in the fun. Is CCP looking to end itself?

Originally, China could have simply closed the door on the Czech to show is dissatisfaction, which would at least have respected the dignity of the E.U. countries while achieving its goal of warning them. Wang Yi, however, decided to appear in public looking all stern with his invincible hooligan posture. Such blatant humiliation which only pushed all E.U. countries into the arms of the United States.

Did we not agree to be “soft” to the United States and European countries? The lack of diplomatic manners in diplomatic occasions just for a momentary pleasure of verbal victory, the one who is paying the “heavy price” is not the Czech, but none other than the CCP itself.

If you want someone to pay a heavy price, you should have a sure-win move in your pocket. Yet as Wang Yi returned to China, the CCP’s “heavy price” was to sanction Czech pianos, which are at the grand price of HK$1.83 million (USD$236,000). What self-inflicted shame. One should count always count the chips on hand before bluffing. Don’t babble when your own hands are empty, such that you’re simply making empty threats, and shooting yourself in the foot. This is as simple as the ABCs of life. A veteran diplomat like Wang Yi should not have been reckless.

Concurrently, Xi Jinping has recently put forth the five “Never Promises”, a long-winded list of clichés that gives people a headache. The intent is to warn the United States and European counties not to separate the CCP and its people, and not to tell China what to do. However, the international community has its own political ethics and standards, who are you to tell them what to say? You are hitting your child at home, about which your neighbors gossip, and some tried to talk you out of it, to which you respond “never promise”. What does that do? People talk when you “promise”; people talk when you “do not promise”, so are you actually saying anything? Instead of saying “never promise” a thousand times, why not retort with a tough one, to beat them up and teach them a lesson so well that they will shut up forever?

The CCP keeps repeating that it represents 1.4 billion Chinese, but when did the 1.4 billion Chinese agree to be represented by the CCP? The people’s representatives are not elected by the people. The representatives attend meetings, and act as hand-raising machines according to the wishes of the CCP, so what exactly do they represent? Zhao Lijian said that the CCP and the Chinese people are linked by flesh and blood, to which the netizens immediately responded with mockeries. You call it the connection of flesh and blood, so why are the people not feeling it? Why are the netizens shooting sarcasm after sarcasm? With such gravity that comes with the connection between flesh and blood, at least be concerned about the people’s life and death, at least let them leave the country freely, go on the Internet freely, talk freely, and protest freely. When you do not even offer freedom to the people, to ban this and censor that, to arrest and imprison, to lock them in concentration camps, to cancel mother tongues, to rectify Hong Kong using the national security law, to use military force against Taiwan, whatever you do is hurting the people. When the wealth of the people is your nutrients, and the pain of the people is your feast, you say you are connected to the people by flesh and blood, with what exactly?

“Heavy price” and “never promises” are those habitual babbles. 40 years since China reformed and opened up, while the pockets are getting fuller, it is still so vulgar at the heart! Could you not have said a few tasteful words? Back then, Lu Xun criticized the Chinese people’s Ah Q spirit: When Ah Q loses in fights, he said, “I’m your dad” to mentally balance that frustration. “Heavy price” and “never promises” are inherited from the Ah Q spirit. Entering the 21st century, the roots of Chinese people’s inferiority have still not been eradicated. No wonder even with wealth and riches, China is still looked down upon by the civilized world.

Obviously they knew that nothing good would come out of the antagonism with the United States and Europe, yet they just could not control themselves from making enemies all around, as if they are not already in such a disadvantaged situation. What kind of logic is this? Perhaps only the Chinese Communists would understand.

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