My Take | Can China present a ‘credible, lovable and respectable’ image to the world?
- The country may be counting on support from the Global South but concern about Beijing’s behaviour is not just confined to the West
Joseph Nye, the academic who coined the term soft power, recently weighed in on the debate about whether China should continue to follow Deng Xiaoping’s approach of lying low and biding its time.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the Harvard academic pointed to Beijing’s image problems in Asia and democratic countries.
Philippines to seek ‘peaceful approach’ with China over ship collision
- Manila says it will consider agreements with Beijing to manage their air and sea encounters in the South China Sea
“Because if we would be going beyond a diplomatic or peaceful approach, you can just imagine, maybe if you’re referring to more kinetic [military] actions, that would not be to the best interest of our country and of China and even in the region,” Alexander Lopez, the newly appointed presidential palace spokesman for the council, said in his first press briefing.
My Take | Jake Sullivan’s China visit lays stress on need for ‘intense diplomacy’ as US election looms
Both sides were keen to highlight the progress made, but Beijing also used the US national security adviser’s visit to set out its red lines
The three-day trip included a meeting with President Xi Jinping and marathon 14-hour talks to China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in the pair’s fourth “strategic communication” since May last year.
“I think the meeting with vice-chairman Zhang was very important. There is no substitute for actually being able to sit across the table,” he said.
Both sides agreed to arrange a call between Xi and Joe Biden in the coming weeks and, addressing a particular concern of Washington’s, set up a video call between military commanders “in the near future”.
