China took another step to maintain its influence over Washington after a group of politically connected secretly met with Chinese officials to discuss US-China relations.
In an exclusive report released by the Wall Street Journal, Chinese officials from the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) were exposed for having a secret meeting with CEO of Starr Insurance Companies, Maurice Greenberg along with several business leaders and former U.S. government officials to talk about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Taiwan crisis and North Korea.
“China is turning to an old friend in corporate America to bolster communications with the U.S., as President Xi Jinping tries to stabilize the bilateral relationship while gearing up for greater competition between the two powers,” the WSJ reported.
According to the people with personal knowledge of the said event, a delegation of senior policy advisers and business executives were dispatched by Beijing to meet and secretly discuss with a U.S. counterpart group which was set up by Greenberg, who is known for being one of the most successful American businessmen in China.
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“The Chinese and U.S. groups held discussions at C.V. Starr’s headquarters on Park Avenue on Nov. 10 and the next day, with 13 members from each side participating. Among the Americans, according to the people, are Mr. Greenberg, Paul Fribourg, CEO of agribusiness ContiGroup Cos., former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and two former U.S. ambassadors to Beijing: Max Baucus, a former Democratic senator from Montana, and Terry Branstad, the former Republican governor of Iowa,” the report added.
Despite the countless reports of China’s human rights abuses, the Chinese government’s slaughter of as many as 10,000 protestors, Greenberg has consistently prioritized engagement with China and even promoted continued bilateral engagement throughout his visit, an eventuality which would financially benefit his Chinese insurance company.
Last week, US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jin Ping reportedly pledged to restart cooperation on climate change and resume other high-level contacts as both Washington and Beijing have showed their willingness to keep keep relations from deteriorating further.
However, amid the tensions over Taiwan and the US’ controls on technology the latest sore spots, with distrust being high, both the Xi and the Biden administration still put in place policies to counter the other’s power and influence
“Xi is seeking a certain degree of stability as part of his preparation for greater competition with the U.S. Given that there is a dearth of engagement between the two sides at any level, any direct dialogue is valuable.” Daniel Russel, a former Obama administration China official, now a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, a think tank, said.
In addition, Retired Adm. Mike Mullen, who attended the discussions also reportedly released a statement, claiming that he and other members in the U.S. group, are “concerned about the downward trajectory of the relationship, and that apprehension was shared by the Chinese side.”
“We’re at a dangerous time. As the two great powers of the time, we need to try to turn this around,” he declared.
But even though the US emphasized for the need for peace across the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese delegates insisted the importance of Taiwan’s eventual unification with the mainland.
“The Chinese group indicated it might be desirable for Beijing to work with Washington on geopolitical issues involving Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korea, according to the participants. But the Chinese delegates seemed to condition the cooperation on Washington respecting China’s core interests such as Taiwan and easing restrictions on high-tech sales to Chinese companies,” WSJ added.
