Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [60]
21
New York City
24 September 2017
Wang Peng was busily checking messages when his black limousine, provided by the Chinese Embassy, pulled up to the Waldorf Astoria. He was greeted at the door by the senior hotel executive on duty and quickly escorted to his suite on the forty-seventh floor. The whole process took less than five minutes, and Wang mused at how efficient the Americans were when they chose to be.
He could feel the jet lag and appreciated not having any appointments tonight. After ordering up a steak dinner and taking a piping hot shower, he sat down at the living room desk to fine-tune his schedule for the coming week He wanted to make sure nothing went wrong with his suddenly revised plans.
He had been pleasantly surprised by Lin Cheng’s last-minute decision to join him in New York, a move that would amplify the importance China placed on the Chunxiao Incident, changing the entire tone, tempo, and direction of their visit. It was uncharacteristic of Lin to act with such haste, but the chairman never did anything without a good reason.
“Peng,” Lin Cheng had said, “I am not as concerned with Japan or the position taken by the Western powers as I was a few days ago. Things seem to be settling down, and I am grateful to you for your good advice on how to deal with President Burkmeister.”
Wang was touched by the compliment and appreciated that his boss gave credit honestly for good ideas—a trait he wished others on the Politburo would emulate.
“I have always believed there are opportunities in any adversarial situation,” Lin had continued in a soft but determined voice, “and Chunxiao might provide China with such an opportunity. I plan to join you in New York, Peng.”
Astonished, Peng had nodded and waited for his boss to explain his reasoning.
“With Chunxiao as my justification, I wish to accomplish three major things during my visit with you to New York. The first, of course, is to make China’s grievances against Japan clear to the UN and the world and to seek recompense for Japan’s militant actions. We can assume Japan will be doing the same thing, and we need to offer a forceful counterbalance to whatever they’ll say.” Wang nodded in agreement, thinking, Nothing new in that.
“Second, we need a permanent solution to doctrines defining the exclusive economic zones. It’s the only way to avoid future Chunxuios in the South China Sea. If my presence in New York will help make our case, then I must go.” This was absolute music to Wang Peng’s ears.
“Last,” Lin said, choosing his words carefully, “I have become increasingly concerned with the so-called cold war between China and other industrial nations as we compete for scarce resources. It places China in a constant adversarial position with the United States and other OECD nations, and everything becomes a zero-sum game. It is becoming costlier from a military and defense point of view, and it will get worse as the world’s oil supply tightens. Perhaps there is nothing we can do about it, but I’ve often wondered if it would be possible to find a more rational way of dealing with our economic needs.” Fascinated, Wang wondered where the chairman was going with this.
“I have not discussed this yet with our comrades on the Politburo, but I would be interested in seeing whether or not there’s any traction in some form of détente. I’m hoping to talk to as many Western leaders as I can at this meeting to see if we can’t improve the atmosphere and find ways to talk some of these issues out. A good start might be to feel out what your friend Jack McCarty might think. I know he doesn’t represent the American government in any official way, but as brother to the vice president, he might have some insights.”
The doorbell rang, shaking Wang from his thoughts. He opened the door and made way for the impeccably dressed attendant, who wheeled in a dinner cart and put the filet mignon Wang had ordered on the table. After thanking him and offering a generous tip, he continued his ruminations over the excellent