“Don’t believe the hype:” Former ambassador to East Asia urges awareness of Chinese government tactics
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – U.S. President Donald Trump touted “incredible trade deals” from this week’s U.S.-China summit in Beijing, with both leaders calling it “historic.” This as tensions remain high over security and Taiwan.
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Former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and East-West Center alumnus Dave Stilwell joined HNN’s Sunrise to break down the key takeaways from a former insider’s perspective.
“Don’t believe the public hype,” Stilwell said. “The discussion behind closed doors never matches the public-facing photo spray. Beijing is masterful at manipulating pre-meeting press availability to make its counterpart look weak.”
Stilwell doesn’t expect much improvement in trade tensions between the two countries, but said efforts to establish a Board of Trade Council and a Board of Investment are a positive development.
He says to look out for changes in America’s relationships with allies like Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
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Stilwell said the U.S. needs to apply pressure to stop the People’s Republic of China’s “nefarious activity,” including using agents like Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, Calif., a city east of Los Angeles.
According to the FBI, Wang admitted to federal law enforcement that she “secretly served the interests of the Chinese government” and agreed to plead guilty to a single count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
“We have to educate Americans on the reality of Communist China,” Stilwell said. “Taiwan is the model we seek: democratic, market economy, rules-based. Our education system needs to get back to developing citizens, not activists, by teaching civic and critical thinking.”
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