We recently followed the development of Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. We already discussed this topic last week here in the column, during a phone call between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
Pelosi’s visit came despite the public discouragement of Biden and security leaders. Despite the risks involved, the trip continued as it attracted the attention of the U.S. government to project foreign power and strengthen the U.S.’s international role, particularly in response to the Sino-Russian alliance in the context of the Ukraine War.
Consistent rapprochement between Beijing and Moscow opened a new page in the hegemonic transition. He not only emphasized the relative decline of the United States and its inability to unilaterally guarantee international stability, but also made clear the interests of China and Russia in challenging the existing order and adopting an unprecedented overt revisionist approach.
In such a situation, what should not be overlooked is that, in addition to the deep structural problems that are gradually being drawn, there is a stage play hidden in the actions and reactions of the USA and China. fueling short-term domestic political interests.
In the North American example, the challenge is to find ways to avoid local costs and damage caused by inflationary pressure. In this sense, two dimensions deserve special attention. While visiting Taiwan, Pelosi sees herself as an independent Democratic leader in the White House, even willing to go against the president’s advice – a president who is facing a serious crisis in her popularity.
At the same time, without a personal commitment and without “role playing”good cop“Along with Chinese officials, Biden aims to support the values agenda in foreign policy in the uncertainties of Pelosi’s positions, who sometimes speaks for himself and sometimes for the United States. As in the case of Ukraine, the country is a strong glue that adapts to public opinion and seeks bilateral support in the context of a polarized country.
Reinforcing the narrative that China is a “common enemy to fight” contributes to the psychological reinforcement of the United States’ importance in the world, while facilitating the outsourcing of responsibilities in terms of making room for the world’s reproduction. The logic of diseases that Americans come from abroad.
Biden has a goal of keeping his party at least in the midterm legislative elections to be held in November 2022. The President knows that if he loses control of Congress, he will have a hard time creating a positive legacy. Be useful to the 2024 presidential election.
In the case of China, internal dynamics are also fundamental to embed the harsh responses to Pelosi’s visit to Beijing, ranging from trade restrictions to unprecedented military exercises. The Communist Party meeting, which is expected to reappoint Xi as president for a third time, will take place soon. This comes at a time when the Chinese government is grappling with the setbacks of its zero-covid policy, facing a major economic growth crisis in the real estate sector, marked by difficulties in attracting investment and supplying production chains. Having to deal with regional instability caused by the conflict in Eastern Europe and international demands stemming from relations with Russia.
China’s focus on territorial integrity, its appeal to sovereign and nationalist rhetoric, and its energetic response to a US-sized strategic rival can therefore be understood from Xi’s perspective of defending immediate political capital.
So far, the sequence of actions and reactions we’ve seen seems to fall within scenarios designed to mark a position and to domestically favor each country’s leaders. The problem with such games is that projecting power and defending interests in international politics almost always coincides with perceptions and interpretations that can lead to miscalculations, disproportionate measures, and eventual loss of control.
In a world marked by interdependence and many successive and simultaneous crises, the United States and China are doubly looking inward, dancing with chaos.
source: Noticias
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