US will not reap any rewards from its coercive diplomacy

Prior to the departure of United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for China on Saturday, senior US officials said in briefing on her two-day trip that she will tell her Chinese hosts there needs to be a level playing field and guardrails to ensure Sino-US competition does not veer into conflict.

In a statement ahead of her visit, the US State Department said that Sherman's discussions with Chinese diplomats represent ongoing US efforts to hold candid exchanges with China to advance US interests and values, and to responsibly manage the relationship.

However, judging from the report of her discussions with Vice-Foreign Minister Xie Feng in Tianjin on Monday morning provided by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, although she might have said all she was tasked to convey, China is not willing to be lectured by the US on how to manage relations.