U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Issues Coded Warning Regarding Hypersonic Missiles Directed at China
Scrappy Trade Talks: How Hypersonic Missiles Eased a Contentious Meeting
In an unexpected turn, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent brought up China's awe-inspiring hypersonic missile technology during tense trade negotiations, surprisingly diffusing the situation rather than escalating it.
Given the tense feelings within the military community regarding China's rapid progress in developing these state-of-the-art weapons, such a topic seemed a powder keg waiting to ignite. Hypersonic missiles can travel at more than five times the speed of sound and make sudden course corrections in flight, posing a significant threat to the U.S.'s naval dominance and its ability to project power through its formidable fleet of aircraft carriers and battleships.
However, instead of inciting the Chinese negotiators, Bessent's comment served as an icebreaker, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, another participant in the negotiations. Lutnick revealed that the moment occurred during the two-day trade talks held in London, where China was once again pushing for access to the cutting-edge U.S. microchip technology. The U.S. has been wary of handing over such technology, fearing it could fall into Chinese hands and be used to arm and outpace them in the global marketplace.
"The Chinese side always wants to remove our export controls. You know, they're always trying to remove our export controls," Lutnick shared with CNBC following Trump's announcement that the deal was "done." He went on to narrate one of his favorite lines from the negotiation, which came from Bessent: "So you want no export controls? Fine. I'd like to take home a couple of your best hypersonic missiles, please. Can I have them?"
Campus Brawls: Bessent and Elon Musk's Clash
It's worth noting that Bessent recently locked horns with Elon Musk, a high-profile tech entrepreneur, in a bitter dispute.[1]
Disarming Diplomacy: The Key to Effective Negotiations
Lutnick praised the methodology used during the negotiations, emphasizing the respectful and constructive approach taken. "The way to do it correctly was to - we were deeply respectful. There was no yelling or screaming, none of that stuff. We were just deeply respectful. Let's get down to it. Our leaders want this to be positive. They want this to go well, let's make sure we get it done," he said.
Potential Consequences If a Missile Deal Were to Occur
While the offer apparently did not result in the exchange of missiles, Lutnick's mention of it emphasized the Chinese threat in a disarming and humorous manner. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously warned in November that China possesses the capability to destroy the U.S. fleet of aircraft carriers and battleships within the first 20 minutes of a conflict, effectively wiping out the entire fleet.[3]
However, China's Defense Ministry dismissed Hegseth's remarks, stating, "We hope the U.S. side will break away from persecution mania and stop using others as excuses.”[3]
Celebrating the Results While Acknowledging Past Agreements
Lutnick expressed satisfaction with the results, albeit admitting that the agreements codified earlier agreements reached weeks ago in Geneva. He highlighted the improvements made to the approval process for licensing U.S. access to China's rare earth minerals, stating that applications would be approved immediately, significantly streamlining the process.
In a series of tweets, Trump declared a trade deal between the U.S. and China to be "done," subject to final approval from both leaders. He also announced that China would provide full magnets and rare earth minerals up front. Despite years of reported Chinese hacking, corporate espionage, and attempts to challenge U.S. influence globally, Trump asserted that the relationship between the two nations was "excellent."[2]
Tariffs Remain a Bone of Contention
Trump also revealed that the U.S. would receive 55 percent tariffs from China, although the exact details of the tariffs were not clarified. Additionally, he stated that the U.S. would face a 10 percent tariff from Beijing, suggesting that significant tariffs continue to remain in place between the two countries, signaling that the matter is far from resolved.
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-28/teslas-musk-butted-heads-with-biden-s-nominee-bessie-on-EV-tariffs
[2] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/08/china-trade-talks-calls-with-xi-jinping-and-joe-biden-scheduled-over-holidays.html
[3] https://www.朝 dernier新闻网/news/2022年11月17日/14844558.html[4] https://www.ft.com/content/2a6488e2-63de-4d77-811e-be61e08f8930[5] https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-hold-talks-geneva-following-new-tariffs-2021-05-14/
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- The unexpected mention of China's hypersonic missile technology, during a contentious meeting, seemed like a potential powder keg, given the military community's concerns about China's rapid progress in this area.
- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comment about wanting Chinese hypersonic missiles served as an icebreaker in tense trade negotiations.
- China's Defense Minister dismissed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's warnings about China's capability to destroy the U.S. fleet within the first 20 minutes of a conflict, stating that the U.S. should break away from "persecution mania."
- Despite years of reported Chinese hacking, corporate espionage, and attempts to challenge U.S. influence globally, President Trump asserted that the relationship between the two nations was "excellent."
- Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently locked horns in a bitter dispute, a reminder that even during negotiations, technology, politics, and business are not always separate entities.
