SecState Condi Rice's visit to Beijing carried a number of items on Washington's agenda. She and China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi came to the table on a number of current events.
As it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, having China's vote (= veto-wielding abilities) is critical to securing and issuing UN-branded action against Mugabe and violence in Zim. Drawing-up the issue to partners and allies, the Washington is recruiting Beijing in particular to get Zim under its thumb. In a diplomatic and vague response to Washignton's proposal, Yang Jiechi told reporters at a news conference that “China, as a responsible country, will also play a constructive role in this process,” but that “the most pressing path is to stabilize the situation in Zimbabwe.” He went on to say say that he hoped that the Zimbabwe government and its political opposition will “engage in a serious dialogue to find a proper solution,” adding that China supports the engagement of “African countries in particular” on this issue.
China of course has a long-standing trade partnership with Zimbabwe, and has been reprimanded internationally for its alleged arms supply to African nations, getting tangled earlier this year in the web of tragedy and condemnation surrounding Darfur genocide activities. Yang clarified that a Chinese ship with a “very limited amount of conventional arms” did not deliver the cargo earlier this year after receiving a request from Zimbabwe. With China stepping back from trade that would be perceived as supplying arms to African countries – and Zimbabwe in particular – but not committing to the US’ proposed course of action, it seems that a stalemate has been reached on this particular issue. Unless of course, another topic or incident comes into play, allowing Washington to leverage this one forward. From this point forward, the US will have to prioritize, choose carefully the topics necessitating Beijing's weight. In the meantime, both countries will continue to tally its haves and have-nots, dancing with a fluidity as dynamic and changing as its variable platforms and partnerships.
Coming to an informal quasi-agreement, Rice concluded her visit to Beijing on the issue of Zim saying “This is not an African issue alone … it is an issue for the Security Council. . . But I think we are all looking for something out of the African Union.”
While China maintains its hosting duties for six-party talks on this issue, it is expected to announce a new round of talks (which include North and South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia). Rice reported that chief envoys would coordinate leading up to the talks, the objective of which would be to “. . . get some steps forward on verification” of North Korean efforts to dismantle its nuclear progrm and activities, she said of the negotiations.
“I’ve been tremendously impressed with the recovery, with the resilience of the people,” Rice told journalists after touring the wrecked city of Dujiangyan, near the epicentre. “It is really a sign of how the human spirit can recover from great devastation.”
On the topics of recent natural disasters in greater Asia, Rice said she would investigate ways to persuade China's close neighbour and ally Myanmar to accept international aid to repair the nation, which suffered catastrophic damage from a cyclone in early May.
“I hope there will be some positive developments and some momentum behind the [Tibet] talks,” Rice said, showing support for China's action. “This is the way to deal with the issue.”