China-US Relations Shattered After Embassy Bombing

Strategic Insights -

The United States' bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade has severely damaged the relationship between China and the US, reversing the progress made in recent years towards a "strategic partnership." China's leaders are now likely to resist making concessions in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and may more actively oppose US interests in Asia and elsewhere. The Chinese government has already severed high-level military contact with the US and has demanded an investigation and punishment for those responsible for the bombing.

Key Takeaways:

  • China has severed all high-level military contact with the US, including meetings on arms control, weapons proliferation, international security, and human rights.
  • The Chinese government has warned that it will veto a proposed peace plan for ending the Kosovo crisis if the bombing continues.
  • China's leaders are genuinely angry over the bombing and worried about issues of national sovereignty involved in NATO action in Yugoslavia.
  • Anti-American factions within the Chinese leadership have been emboldened, and as a result, China is likely to be less conciliatory in what it will do to win membership in the WTO.
  • The bombing has destroyed much of the progress made by China and the US on various fronts, including trade and human rights.
  • The Chinese government allows anti-American protests to continue, which is likely to strain personal ties between Americans and Chinese.
  • US professor teaching outside Beijing said he doesn't know how to face his students, who are convinced that the US government intentionally bombed the Chinese embassy.
  • The attack has soured feelings towards the US among Chinese citizens, with some vowing to stop buying American products.

Statistics:

  • Thousands of Chinese citizens marched in protest for a third day, with smaller crowds than over the weekend and better control by police.
  • The US Ambassador James Sasser found himself effectively trapped in his embassy over the weekend as unruly marchers hurled rocks and threatened to crash the gates protecting the compound.
  • The attack on the Albanian Embassy also emphasized the emotional component of the popular reaction in China, with protesters brandishing images of Clinton the war criminal and Clinton the junkyard dog.

Sources:

  • The New York Times
  • Reuters
  • The Washington Post
  • Knight Ridder Newspapers
  • Brookings Institution