The Chinese are not nice these days, according to news reports:

A senior Chinese diplomat on Monday bluntly warned the visiting American deputy secretary of state, Wendy R. Sherman, that the Biden administration's strategy of pursuing both confrontation and cooperation with Beijing was sure to fail.

China's vice foreign minister, Xie Feng, told Ms. Sherman that the United States' "competitive, collaborative and adversarial rhetoric" was a "thinly veiled attempt to contain and suppress China," according to a summary of Mr. Xie's comments that the Chinese foreign ministry sent to reporters.

Ms. Sherman's meetings offered the latest gauge of the Biden administration's strategy of stepping up pressure against the Chinese government on several fronts, including human rights and internet hacking, while seeking to work together on global problems like climate change and international health threats. Mr. Xie's remarks underscored the anger that has been building in China toward the United States, undermining the chances that the approach will work.

In your face, Wendy, or something like that.

The Chinese must feel that this kind of language does not cost them anything.  Maybe they watched that CNN town hall meeting.  Or maybe they saw the incoherent withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Or maybe they expect the Biden administration to focus on climate change rather than growing the U.S. economy.

China has decided that it can take shots at the U.S. without consequence.  Why not?  They allegedly hatched a virus that destroyed the world's economy and killed three million people.

Wonder what they're thinking in Taiwan about all of this?  I don't know, but I'd be worried if I lived on that island.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Max Pixel.

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