Chinese ambassador to U.S. does not think Trump’s strategy document is very good
Christiane Amanpour of CNN interviewed China’s affable ambassador in Washington D.C., Cui Tiankai 崔天凯. Her questions were mostly about his thoughts on U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy that was published on December 18, and about North Korea. Xinhua News Agency also has a readout of his talking points.
Cui essentially poo-poos the Strategy, is slightly evasive in answering some of Amanpour’s questions, and produces a steady hum of “win-win”-type Party formulations. His main arguments:
- China does not seek global dominance, and “we don’t think there is a zero-sum game between China and the United States.”
- Cui evaded a question about discussions between the U.S. and Chinese governments on the possibility of war, and said that armed conflict is “no option” on the Korean peninsula.
- He urged “cooperation and coordination between China and the U.S.” in dealing with North Korea.
- The Strategy does not embody “a truly global outlook,” a “forward-looking vision,” or “a constructive and cooperative approach.” “Frankly,” said Cui, “I think the current strategy could be improved in all these aspects.”
- Cui said that trade or currency wars would hurt both countries.
Three stories for Thursday
Drugs: Vice has a story titled “China won’t arrest two fentanyl kingpins wanted by U.S.”:
- Two Chinese nationals were indicted by the American Department of Justice; they were accused of shipping the dangerous opioid fentanyl through the mail to customers in the United States.
- The Chinese police have not arrested them, because it is not clear that they have broken any Chinese laws.
Solar energy: Popular Mechanics explains some details behind the “solar highway” that has been in the news recently:
- Near Jinan, in eastern China’s Shandong Province, a 1.2 mile (2 km) stretch of solar highway is nearing completion.
- Solar panels on the road will produce electricity for nearby towns.
- The highway is planned to eventually wirelessly power electric cars driving on it.
Haven’t seen our cooking videos yet? Go watch Jiayang Fan of the New Yorker spice up a potato, or The China Project’s Kaiser Kuo scramble eggs with tomatoes.
