Has The US Unwittingly Reunited China And Russia? Part II
The "Heart Of China," Blog with a Point of View
American politicians may never see their distancing themselves from Beijing as one reason for the reuniting of Xi and Putin; one thing they are concerned about, yet are stumped to remedy. Hopefully, the recent discussions will reveal something different, and pave a way to communicating with world peace in mind. Unfortunately, the US approach was a warning to China, not a request for support.
I think it began with the present administration’s initial faux pas while the Chinese Government delegation attended negotiations in Alaska, where the US government failed to include them in lunch arrangements. A bad move on the part of a government organization, pouring salt on a wound, and exacerbating stressed relations.
But what if Biden and Xi were on friendly terms? What pressure would that put on Putin? Xi has the ability to coerce Putin in ways that the US doesn’t. For Biden, the ability to maintain good relations with Xi, notwithstanding agreement or non-agreement in certain cultural practices or ideologies, he, like Xi, should master the skill of adjusting when and how to add pressure, or not, to achieve desired outcomes. Sometimes, it’s wise to do as the Chinese say, “睁一只眼闭一只眼 Open one eye and close one eye.”
Perhaps, we can see this practice with how China is reacting to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. China regards relations as critical to maintaining harmony and peace, and this may require moving in the grey space, more than in the black and white. Sometimes, keeping people wondering is more effective than not.
A Strategy For Success
In the Art of War, it says, “知己知彼 Know self, know others,” one of my favorite bits of wisdom from the writing. The more you contemplate it, the more meaningful it becomes, though this is actually something we do daily, we don’t consider it all the time. Especially where it behooves us—dealing with other cultures.
Consider a business seeking its voice speaking to a customer. The business spends time and money finding best ways to motivate customers to respond to a call to action. If you don’t know what motivates your customer, even a child knows you will fail at your attempts, clear testimony to the value of “know others.”
Most of us, except perhaps the stubborn, these hardheaded types, will consider ways to nurture relationships, at least ones we want to succeed. Even if it requires self-change, adapting or adjusting, for the relationship’s success.
This is the basis behind the phrase, “know self.” A concept of introspection—learning about yourself, strengths, weaknesses, and how to adjust responses to support attaining goals. It’s a major strategy from the Art of War. It requires real-world knowledge and understanding of cause and effect. Failure caused by lack of such understanding, from ignorance, or lack of interest, often spurs responses leading to back-peddling, finger pointing, and a barrage of excuses.
Know self informs me I need to be aware of things I do or say that may derail a situation—causing nonsuccess. Know others informs me I need to be aware of what motivates others to attain a desired outcome. Anything else, of course, is failure. Because, if you act on your first limbic brain reaction, it may be a false prophet pushing you to not consider others, leading to failure.
Win-Win Is Not Transactional
By applying these concepts, Biden may have more influence on what is happening that he is not happy with. (A foot in the door is better than getting locked out.) Situational change is not immediate. This challenges the fast-food-based mindset; but in-roads to success, forged through diplomacy and the building of foot bridges, offer long term hope.
Unfortunately, the American norm is transactional—reactionary. It’s challenged by allowing things to “unfold” through relationship-based engagement. A practice that requires the skill set of ‘know self, know others.’ Sometimes, it may feel like you’re walking a tight rope, not in control, since you depend on the ‘other’ to come through for you, or, catch you when you fall. The quality of this safety net verifies the level of trust and depth of the relationship, something that directly correlates to how well you have balanced the ideas of ‘know self, know others.’
So, what is the outcome of boycotting the Olympics? It is a reiteration of a closed door policy that created an open-hand invite into Putin's game.
Did you miss Part I? Access it here.
Todd Cornell is the author of Heart Of China, How Mindfulness Changed My Life. Available March 15th, 2022.
