Professor Kiji Noh in San Francisco: The US is trying to appear stronger than it is by having these meetings (it usually levels sanctions right before or after as a way of humiliating the officials). It’s trying to gain a PR advantage. China is not obliging.

Professor Kiji Noh in San Francisco: The US is trying to appear stronger than it is by having these meetings (it usually levels sanctions right before or after as a way of humiliating the officials). It’s trying to gain a PR advantage. China is not obliging. 美國試圖通過召開這些會議來表現得比實際更強大（它通常會在之前或之後實施制裁，作為羞辱官員的一種方式). 美國正試圖獲得公關優勢。 中國沒有義務。

Tom Fowdy has a good analysis. https://www.rt.com/op-ed/529384-china-us-visit-snub/ Herein lies the strategic flaw in Biden’s policy. Just like Trump, he is doing nothing to reassure Beijing of America’s intentions. Already he has provoked it over Taiwan by landing military planes on the island – blunders which his ‘Asia czar’ Kurt Campbell attempted to row back on. This is obviously a very big red line for Beijing. And over the past month, he has engaged in a growing spree of sanctions over Xinjiang including a demand for businesses to leave the supply chain altogether, issuing a proposed business advisory targeting Hong Kong – which according to the South China Morning Post “shocked” American business leaders – and confirmed sanctions on China’s solar panel industries motivated by protectionism.

In this case, China has abruptly – but unsurprisingly – put its foot down on high-level dialogue with the US (but not its allies). Beijing does not want to provoke the US further or empower the worst China hawks, but it is increasingly making a rational calculation that, for the moment, an attempt to talk to the US is a waste of effort and even self-defeating.