Hi Antony and Wendy, why so ill at ease?

Friends may remember this picture. It is Collin Powell telling the UN Security Council in March 2002 that America has found Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Many believe him. Powell has the prestige to sway even non-believers. But it was a big lie. How could someone of Powell’s standing do that, many would ask.

Look at how confident Powell was.

 

 

Fast forward to March 19^th, 2021, Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan played “hosts” to China’s Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi in Alaska. Blinken obviously looked very ill at ease at the meeting. Only Sullivan was more composed.

And ditto Wendy Sherman in the July 25^th and 26^th meetings with Xie Feng and Wang Yi.

 

  
  

On the other hand, Yang, Wang and Xie looked so confident.

Why?

I do not propose to talk about the substance, or the lack of it, of their allegations against China. Everyone who reads knows about them.

I will try to explore from the commonsense angle.

First, in the case of Powell’s assertion. Many in the world were indeed convinced that Iraq had WMDs. Hussein gave the impression he had them. Even though the UN inspectors were not able to find them, the US was keen to invade Iraq, thinking it was an easy cake. Powell was prepared to sacrifice his prestige to do that for George Bush.

As for Blinken and Sherman, if you read their CVs, you know that are intellectual very formidable. They know from their PhD pursuits, everything must be evidence-based. What have been said about the genocides and force labour concerns in Xinjiang and the democracy issues in Hong Kong can never hold water in them. They went to these meetings without any conviction, hence their discomfort. Period.

In Yang, Wang and Xie’s case, they know what they are talking. They knew they owe to the Chinese people to unmask America’s hypocrisy in all these issues. Lies are easy to take down. And they are well-read, well-travelled, seasoned diplomats. Hence their confidence.

I remember I had to help IMC Pan Asia Alliance’s Fred Tsao sell Family Business Network (FBN) to some of the rich men in Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur. FBN is a Lausanne-based billionaires’ fraternity, which Fred was trying to introduce to the Asia Pacific region. I am a man of modest means and personally do not feel at ease with rich men and rich kids. But it was a task that I had to perform as Fred’s employee. But I could feel my own discomfort each time I spoke to guests on FBN’s mission. I was not convinced of the mission myself!