Of late, the bilateral relationship has evolved into something akin to a Danse Macabre.

We have previously compared the relationship between the United States and the Peoples Republic of China to the_ApacheDance_, a Parisian stage actfamous at the Moulin Rouge in the early twentieth century. Of late, however, the bilateral relationship has evolved into something akin to a_Danse Macabre_.

As I observed in May 2020:

Those of us who are inextricably involved with both of those nations while living, for the most part, on the periphery of these cheek-by-jowl empires, have long witnessed a decades-long apache dance. For me, the contemplation of that fluid, constantly-transmuting dialectic brings to mind the description of the come-hither performances witnessed in the New York art world as described by Tom Wolfe in_The Painted Word_(1975):

The artist was like the female in the act, stamping her feet, yelling defiance one moment, feigning indifference the next, resisting the advances of her pursuer with absolute contempt more thrashing about more rake-a-cheek fury more yelling and carrying on until finally with one last mighty and marvelously ambiguous shriek pain! ecstasy! she submits Paff paff paff paff paff How you do it, my boy! and the house lights rise and Everyone,tout le monde, applauds

In recent times, that bilateral gyration is more reminiscent of a_danse macabre_, the dance of death that flourished as an idea, a cultural trope and a reality in the late middle ages. During an era when war, pestilence and poverty might visit a cruel fate upon anyone at any time, the_danse macabre_was a reminder and warning, as well as a form of comic relief that was performed as a_memento mori_ a reminder that we all die. The_danse macabre_helped the living face the inevitable even as they dealt with the horrors of the day. As part of the dance, the cadaverous messengers of Death were unequivocal:

Quod fuimus, estis; quod sumus, vos eritis

What we were, you are; what we are, you will be

fromMangling May Fourth 2020 in Washington China Heritage_,14 May 2020_

In a presentation made to the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs on 11 February 2021,Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr.chose the metaphor of the_pas de__deux_to characterise the Sino-American relationship. In his remarks, reproduced below, Ambassador Freeman emphasised thatsuch a balletic duet requires considerable virtuosity and offered a clear-eyed evaluation of the quality of a performance that is, in essence, a_grand pas de deux_.

A_grand pas de deux_is a suite of dances, often in five parts, that share a common theme. The five parts are the:

• Entre: a highly ritualised and pageantry-laden prelude during which much is made of the couples intentions and romantic aspirations;
• Adagio: a slow and entrancing courtship during which the lead offers support to the often convoluted balancing acts of their partner;
• Variations: during which each performer takes a turn in centre stage, showcasing their athletic talents via leaps, turns and various acrobatic displays; and,
• Coda: the conclusion to the performance in which earlier set pieces are repeated in a build up to a grand finale.

The halcyon days of the Sino-American bilateral_adagio_have long given way to a seemingly endless round of variations. How and when a_coda_might result, and which performer will garner the most applause, are anybodys guess. In the meantime, Ambassador Freeman says,

let China take its own path while we take our own. We need to fix our own problems before we try to fix Chinas.

We are delighted that Ambassador Freeman has given_China Heritage_permission to reproduce his remarks Playing at War Games with China as a chapter inSpectres & Soul: China Heritage Annual 2021.

Geremie R. Barm Editor,China Heritage 20 February 2021

Note:

• The typographical style of Ambassador Freemans original has, for the most part, been retained, although the footnotes have been incorporated into the body of the text.

In Americas_pas de deux_with China, we have consistently been the initiator of the dance and taken the lead. We developed some well-founded complaints about Chinese economic behavior, so we launched a trade war with it. We were alarmed about Chinas potential to outcompete us internationally, so we decided to try to cripple it with an escalating campaign of maximum pressure. We saw China as a threat to our continued military primacy, so we sought to contain and encircle it.

Chas W. Freeman, Jr.

The State of the Sino-American Pas de Deux in 2021 China Heritage