Re:Twitter locks account of Chinese Embassy in U.S.
by dirtyid on Thursday January 21, 2021 @01:45AM
(#25856214)
Pottinger is the architect of current China containment policies that's fairly coherent if not for Trump going off script. There's likely continuity going into Biden's China policy. He's arguably more dangerous to Chinese interest than Pompeo. I don't think there's going to be much movement towards improving relations until Biden sorts US out for a couple years and there's some semblance of where Trump/Pompeo/Hawks/Republican party is heading for next election. Sanctioning Pompeo probably a gift for his presidential aspirations anyway. Otherwise it looks pretty reciprocal, China doesn't have SWIFT levers, so have to inconvenience another way.
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Re:Twitter locks account of Chinese Embassy in U.S.
by beerandt on Thursday January 21, 2021 @04:49AM
(#25857183)
It's pretty clear to me that China intends for it to be, and look like, an escalation, even if ambiguously so.
They're posturing on the new admin, knowing that the Whitehouse really doesn't want to escalate. A China flex without a comparable US (escalated) response would be huge for China's superpower aspirations right now.
If it backfires, then China can fall back to the position that they intended it to be reciprocal in order to save face.
Re:Twitter locks account of Chinese Embassy in U.S.
by dirtyid on Thursday January 21, 2021 @06:07AM
(#25857675)
A couple factors:
Wait until "doomsday clown" Pompeo out of the office, to mitigate damage.
Biden invited Taiwan's "ambassador" to inauguration, a first. I don't know which event proceeds what, but this might call for separate response. There's no space for face-saving on Taiwan redline. Off to a rough start.