New Cold War Means Rapprochement Won't Score US Wins

Recently, over the Father’s Day weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his long-awaited trip to China to meet with Chinese supreme leader Xi Jinping.

It turned out it to be appropriate timing, as by the end Xi looked very much like America’s daddy.

That the U.S. and China are now engaged in a new Cold War is undeniable.

Only the most naïve and willfully ignorant would argue otherwise.

Globally, nations are watching the contest intently to see which superpower will emerge victorious, while seeking to place their bets accordingly.

Currently, in the geopolitical yard, China is increasingly looking like the alpha-dog.

Indeed, over the last few months alone, the world has witnessed:

• A massive Chinese spy balloon traverse the American heartland;
• China deepening ties in America’s own backyard with Latin American countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Honduras;
• The Chinese yuan chipping away at the U.S. dollar as the world’s dominant currency;
• China establishing a spy base in Cuba and training facilities that would place Chinese troops less than 100 miles away from America’s coast;
• China building partnerships and brokering peace deals in the Middle East; and
• China further solidifying their already strong hold over Africa.

And let us not forget about all the deadly fentanyl that China continues pouring into the U.S. that kills Americans daily, and which America appears powerless to stop, much like everything else arriving at its borders these days.

Now, on top of it all, they see the once great and powerful America practically begging China for an audience to discuss a "thaw" in relations. One might be forgiven for reading “thaw” as the diplomatic equivalent of waiving a white flag.

To make matters worse still, the Biden administration was so desperate to reschedule Blinken’s trip after it was originally cancelled due to the spy balloon incident, that they were even reportedly "slow walking" actions that would anger China.

This includes delaying the release of eagerly awaited reports regarding the spy balloon and the origins of COVID-19, and certain punitive economic measures against Chinese companies and rules restricting U.S. investments into China.

One wonders what other concessions Biden may have given Xi to secure the meeting.

Or were promised thereafter.

Blinken did emerge from the meeting declaring publicly that the U.S. does not support Taiwan’s independence, which assuredly pleased Xi. Blinken also met with a delegation of U.S. business leaders in China, many surely keen to resume making money in China, as they once did.

At present, China would happily pocket more U.S. investment, especially as the Chinese economy falters with the much-anticipated economic bounce from coming out of their COVID-19 lockdowns failing to materialize.

Though luckily for China, Biden appears willing to assist in this regard, with U.S. Secretaries Janet Yellen and Gina Raimondo (Treasury and Commerce, respectively) reportedly expected to visit China in the coming months to discuss an economic thaw to accompany the diplomatic one.

Even the meeting itself between Xi and Blinken presented bad optics for America.

With observers noting how Xi appeared to lecture the subordinate Blinken from the head of a long boardroom table.

And speaking of optics, Biden himself is clearly not helping them either lately, as his faculties appear to diminish further every day.

A fact that has not gone unnoticed domestically or on the world stage.

And now there is new evidence to suggest that Biden and his wayward son had business dealings with the Chinese Communist Party, adding suspicions that he may not merely be mentally compromised when it comes to China.

Any wonder then that so many nations, particularly those in the Global South and outside of the West are shifting towards China’s side.

Not least because as one developing country leader noted, "What we get from China is an airport. What we get from America is a lecture."

But even the lectures, such as they are, lose their resonance as America appears weaker.

China is seeking to convince the world that the East is rising, and the West is declining.

And that China’s own rise to the world’s center stage is inevitable. While this may all just be rhetoric at this point, perception can quickly become reality.

America is still an extremely powerful nation, with many strengths and advantages over China, which while undoubtedly strong possesses its own fair share of weaknesses as well.

America must, however, constantly present to the world an image of strength and ascendancy, and never one that is soft or that bends the knee.

For to paraphrase the great Logan Roy from the HBO's "Succession," "sometimes it is a big stick competition."

In the new Cold War, the world is watching closely to see whether China or America possesses the bigger one.

Lee Steinhauer is a strategic policy and political consultant known for his book "The Art of The New Cold War: America vs China. What America Must Do to Win." Lee is a frequent guest on Fox, Fox Business, Newsmax, and a published policy and opinion writer for numerous media publications. Read Lee Steinhauer's Reports — More Here.