Yellen Commits Grave Error in Show of American Weakness in China

Joe Biden and his team have been a mess when it comes to dealing with the Chinese.

When the Chinese sent a spy balloon over our country, Biden waited until it flew across the whole country including sensitive military installations, and likely sent back information to China, before he got around to shooting it down. Then Biden reacted like it was on us to make up with the Chinese—when they were the ones who were spying on us. It’s the Chinese who owed us an explanation, not the other way around.

We’ve seen the spy balloon, overseas “police stations” violating our territory, reports about spying in Alaska, and from Cuba.

But what has Biden said in response about the Chinese spying on us with the balloon? He said the U.S. “doesn’t seek conflict,” as though the problems are the fault of the U.S. Then NSC spokesperson John Kirby said they weren’t investigating the spy balloon, in a bizarre statement.

There was even a report that Biden wanted to call Xi , and his staff stopped him, raising more questions about who is in charge at the White House. The Biden team sent low-level people to Beijing, right on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in a huge gaffe, not appearing to care about the significance of that action.

They finally managed to work their way up to the Chinese having Secretary of State Antony Blinken there. But then, they treated him like a stepchild without any formal official greeting or red carpet, and made him walk to greet top diplomat Wang Yi. Then, in their statement about the meeting, the Chinese blamed the U.S. for all the problems.

What did the Biden team do in response to being treated like that? They sent Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen to China, showing they still didn’t understand how to approach the Chinese or deal with the loss of face the Chinese dealt them. As with Blinken, Yellen also got no red carpet, although one Chinese official did meet her when she arrived two days ago.

Yellen arrives in Beijing.
No red carpet, no welcoming ceremony.
Will BBC and Washington Post put grey filter on this time? pic.twitter.com/I3pDtsnxgC

— ShirleyGuo (@ShirleyGuo18) July 6, 2023

But then on Saturday, Yellen committed a grievous diplomatic error—she bowed repeatedly, at least three times, to Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng when she met him.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen greets Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing earlier today pic.twitter.com/iYcA7Jmuz6

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 8, 2023

That’s a grave show of American weakness to the Chinese, particularly the repeated and deep nature of the bowing. If the Chinese didn’t already think they could step all over us, that’s the type of signal to them that they can, when Biden officials act that desperate to bend over for them. Lifeng even backed up a little to give her more room to kowtow to him, like she was a servant.

“Never, ever, ever,” Bradley Blakeman, a senior staffer in George W. Bush’s White House, told The Post. “An American official does not bow. It looks like she’s been summoned to the principal’s office, and that’s exactly the optics the Chinese love.”

“Bowing is not part of the accepted protocol,” agreed Jerome A. Cohen, an emeritus professor at NYU and expert in Chinese law and government. [….]

“The way to treat an adversary is, you don’t go hat in hand,” Blakeman said. “But with this administration, time and time again, we embarrass ourselves and show weakness. And it just shows the lack of effective leverage we have.”

She also couldn’t even get his name right, calling him “Vice Premier Hu.”

How did the Chinse take Yellen coming hat in hand?

After Yellen arrived, they were saber-rattling at Taiwan, even with Yellen there, knowing the U.S. wasn’t going to cut them off. They sent 13 People’s Liberation Army aircraft and six vessels into the airspace and waters around Taiwan, as if to say to the U.S., “See, we’ll do what we want, even with your official here.”

Now, with the bowing and scraping, they’re going to be even more emboldened.

Did Joe Biden have anything to say about all this? Of course not, he’s on his continual vacation. It’s likely he has no idea what is going on, as he seems to get older by the minute.

Q: Have you spoken to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen regarding her trip to China?

BIDEN: "No" pic.twitter.com/lxVpkGF7fn

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 8, 2023