The Daily Signal - Xi, Putin ‘Want to Create Their Own New Rules,’ Asian Studies Expert Says

Episode Date: September 13, 2023

Two world leaders, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, did not attend the Group of 20 summit held in New Delhi, which concluded on Sunday.  Erin Walsh, senior research fellow for international affairs in The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, says that "clearly, the two of them made a decision that they weren't going to show up." "[A]nd they want to create their own new rules, and new economy, and new standards, and new world, for that matter; for the world to play by the rules that they set forward, and I think that this was a first stab at that," Walsh says.  "So, we're going to have to wait and see what happens at the upcoming [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] summit, but it's clear that they wanted to do that," she says, adding: And also, the fact that I think China was pouting because they are not supportive of India, there's tension between the two nations, and China wants to show that they had the upper hand and would not go to India, on [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi's soil, to pay that kind of respect. And so, that tells you something about Xi Jinping, which is more than we probably want to know.APEC will host its summit in mid-November in San Francisco.  Walsh joins today's episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss President Joe Biden's recent comments that he doesn't "want to contain China" and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's meeting with Putin.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration does everything they can to engage. And you do not, it's like a suitor continuing to chase after someone just to get their attention. And what's happened is that China has lost all respect to the United States. They have zero respect for us because we try too hard. This is the Daily Signal podcast for Wednesday, September 13th. I'm Samantha Sherris. And that was Erin Walsh, Senior Research Fellow for International Affairs in the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center. On Tuesday, North Korea's Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia to meet with Russian President

Vladimir Putin. Their meeting comes after the Group of 20 Summit, as well as President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam, where he said he doesn't want to contain China. Aaron joins today's episode of the Daily Signal podcast to discuss the meeting between the Russian and North Korean leaders, President Biden's comments about China, and some highlights from the G20 summit. We'll get to our conversation right after this. He was evading police. We were told that he was recruited on TikTok by the cartel. He was on Facebook live, and he was going over 105 miles an hour.

He came straight off that exit, and he ran that red light, and he crashed into her and killed them. He mutilated them. What you just heard are the first few. few seconds of a brand new documentary from the Daily Signal on the real cost of the Biden administration's border crisis. We spoke with Elisa Tambunga, a mother who has experienced unfathomable tragedy and loss at the hands of a human smuggler. You can find the full documentary telling Elisa Tambunga's story on the Daily Signal's YouTube page or across our social media platforms. Joining today's episode of the Daily Signal podcast is Erin Walsh, Senior Research Fellow for International Affairs in the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center.

Erin, thanks so much for joining us today. It's wonderful to be here with you, Sam. So first and foremost, the G20 summit, which was held in New Delhi, wrapped up on Sunday. But before we get to some takeaways from the summit, I wanted to get your reaction to a soundbite of President Joe Biden talking about China while he was in Vietnam. Let's take a listen via the White House's YouTube. I don't want to contain China. I just want to make sure we have a relationship with China that is on the up and up squared away. Everybody knows what it's all about.

He also said later that we're not looking to hurt China sincerely and we're all better off if China does well. Erin, first and foremost, what is your reaction to the president's remarks about China? So it's interesting because President Biden has said that over and over again. We're not trying to contain China, which, in fact, the president is quite confused, is what he's actually doing, and they do not seem to have a clear policy on China. China has declared war on the United States more recently, I would say, about the last five or six years, but it's been going on for 20 years where they have aggressively gone after the United States. President Xi Jinping just said this year that the United States is basically trying to suppress and encircled China,

and in short, trying to contain their growth and their development, since they're a developing country, he believes, even though the second largest economy in the world. And so for the president to say, we are not trying to contain them, he's just trying to actually have his own engagement strategy progress. What, if anything, do these remarks tell us about how the Biden administration views the threat of the Chinese Communist Party? I think that they view them indeed as a threat. I think that it's the way that they're handling it. And I think what they want to do, they have a lot of things that they want to get done, such as their climate change net zero. And I think they're not going to be able to do that because the Chinese are not going to cooperate.

The president also said that he hopes he wants to get the relationship right. We're not trying to contain them. and he just wants to push them to follow the rules. Well, China has determined that they're not going to follow the rules, and in fact, they're actually trying to create a new rules-based order, so to speak, of their own. And their allies are actually Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, and not to mention Russia. So I think that they are trying to diminish the United States, the West, the dollar, and everything else that goes with it.

Now, while Biden was in Vietnam, the U.S. and Vietnam also reached a deal. Can you tell us a little bit more about what this deal entails and, you know, break it down for us a little bit more? Sure. The key was that the president was going over there, and I think that was a good idea to go over to Vietnam to strengthen our relationship with them. He elevated the level of the partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which is one level above, but below. an ally, of course, because they are a communist country. But Vietnam, while they're a small country, they've become a more important country in the region, in the Indo-Pacific, and they really hold the same values in terms of their own sovereignty as the United States does. And just looking

forward, how would you advise or suggest the U.S. continue to build on the relationship that we have with Vietnam? How can the U.S. continue to strengthen that relationship? Well, one of the most important things that has been done in recent years is that Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State, made a decision in 2020 with President Trump that we would change our relationship, whereby previously we stood on the sidelines, really, if there were a claim in the region, that a certain area was one country or another, we just stayed neutral. But at that point, when the president and Pompeo both saw that China was aggressively making claims, on others' sovereignty within their economic zones.

The United States made the decision to really actively respond to those in support of those other nations. So that's what we've been doing. I think that that was a very good sign for Vietnam, for the Philippines, and that's why you're seeing a much more stronger interest in them engaging, having the United States become a closer partner, even though they're in a very difficult position out there in the region. The president also made comments about us thinking too much in coal.

Cold War terms. What are your thoughts on that? Well, I think that he happens to be on the other side of the world right now making those comments and he's on the other side of what the majority in the mainline thinkers believe today. In fact, Heritage came out with a book earlier this year, a very great book, I hope you all get an opportunity to take a look at it called China and the New Cold War. And basically, the reason we called it this is because we don't want to hot war with China. In fact, these are a hundred and nine pages worth of policy prescriptions

on how to do just that peace through strength and how the United States can build resiliency and also build our deterrence to China and also in support, obviously, of Taiwan and for the world that we believe in. And so that's what this book is about. We are absolutely in a new Cold War. Why is it important to, you know, make that distinction that we are, in fact, Cold War with China? Because what happens is that the Biden administration does everything they can to engage. And you do not, it's like a suitor continuing to chase after someone just to get their attention. And what's happened is that China has lost all respect to the United States. They have zero respect for us because we try too hard. And what they've done is they have leveraged our engagement

policy by saying that we would have a meeting. So we've used up four chits, so to speak, by sending four cabinet secretaries in the last three months, high-level senior officials of the Biden administration. So China said, you want a meeting? Fine, you'll get a meeting. And then we get the meeting. And guess what? Each cabinet secretary goes home empty with nothing. And so we're not able to get anything from the Chinese, but they were able to get something from us by just hosting us on their soil. So engagement is not a strategy. The results are the strategy, and we believe in peace with strength. Absolutely. And in other international news, on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin

that two leaders previously met back in 2019. And based on what I've seen so far, at least as of this interview, the date and time, hasn't been reported yet. First and foremost, with what we know so far, could you just tell us a little bit about this meeting, what we know, and the significance of it? Sure. Well, they had sent envoys ahead of this meeting when the North Greens took a train I think a month or so ago over to Russia to meet with them to really lay the groundwork for this summit. And basically it's quite clear that they want to get arms from, so it's an arms deal from the North Koreans. And clearly, as we can see, Russia is having a difficult time because during this counteroffensive that's going on right now with Ukraine, both sides are going through a great deal of munitions. And so they need some desperately.

And as a result, of course, Kim Jong-un is going to have his own ass and requests. they say he wants will probably ask for food he will for his his team so to speak and he will also ask for more advanced technology for weaponry such as spy satellites or nuclear powered submarines and what if anything does this meeting tell us about the relationship between russia and north koreaqiqi i think what we're seeing is a relationship out of necessity they're both communist countries in theory. I mean, Russia says they're a democracy, but we know that Vladimir Putin is anything but. I would say that they have a greater interest in becoming more actively involved with one another and with China and with Iran too. So we're seeing a new

group of countries becoming much closer that are very, very anti the West. And just speaking of the West, how concerned should the U.S. and the West be? I think it's very unfortunate that during this administration, which has shown such weakness, that we're seeing greater involvement of different, I would say, dangerous administrations out there coming closer together because they see that the United States is not taking any action to keep them from it. In fact, we've seen 100 missiles being shot, test-fired missiles from North Korea, even in the last several months. And that never took place really at anywhere near that during the Trump administration.

So you can see the difference where they see that the time is now to make their moves. And they're doing so. Now, as I mentioned at the top of the show, the G20 summit ended on Sunday. What do you view as one of the key takeaways from the summit? The key takeaway, I think, is those that didn't show up at the G20 summit, which is Jijun Ping. and Vladimir Putin. So clearly the two of them made a decision that they weren't going to show up

and they want to create their own new rules and new economy and new standards and new world for that matter for the world to play by the rules that they set forward and I think that this was a first step at that. So we're going to have to wait and see what happens at the upcoming APEC summit but it's clear that they wanted to do that

and also the fact that I think China was pouting because they are not supportive of India. There's tension between the two nations. And China wants to show that they have the upper hand and would not go to India on Modi soil to pay that kind of respect. And so that tells you something about Xi Jinping, which is more than we probably want to know.

You just mentioned the APEC summit. When is that? And can you just briefly explain what that is? Sure. It's the Pacific Economic Cooperative. and basically it's a summit that takes place. This year it happens to be going to be held in San Francisco, unfortunately, that city under the conditions it is right now.

But the summit is scheduled to take place in November, and President Biden is expected to see and meet with Xi Jinping. But as of right now, due to the fact that he did not show up at the G20, we have no idea whether or not he's going to show up at APEC. What would that say about the relationship between China? and the U.S. Does it say anything if Xi Jinping doesn't show up in November? Sure. It says a great deal. It says a great deal about what he thinks about the United States. More importantly, what he thinks about the Biden administration.

Well, it will certainly be interesting to watch November just around the corner. Any other highlights you think are worth mentioning from the G20 summit? Just I think that they focused a lot on developing countries. They focused on, of course, their environmental and climate change. issues. So I think that while some there were some good outtakes from that in terms of what India did, in terms of what Modi did and showing his leadership and being able to showcase India, I think that was all very good. But I think net net, the G20, is not in great state right now if you have two leaders who have decided they don't even want to play with the rest of the world.

Well, Aaron, thank you so much for joining us today. Just before we go, any final thoughts? there's just a lot to watch out for, so keep your eyes and ears tuned to what's next in the relationships. Perfect. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Okay, thank you. And that I'll do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening to my interview with Erin Walsh. If you haven't gotten a chance, be sure to subscribe to the Daily Signal wherever you get your podcast and help us reach even more listeners by leaving a five-star rating and review. We read and appreciate all of your feedback. Thanks again for listening. Have a great Wednesday,

and we'll be back with you all this afternoon for top news. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Lewy and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com.