华盛顿——美国与其两个最大的地缘政治对手的关系正面临严峻考验，因为美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)试图维护美国在世界上的地位，并将自己与前任区分开来。
在过去的一周，拜登政府对中国和俄罗斯采取了异常强硬的态度，表达了无数的不满。随着拜登将俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京(Vladimir Putin)描述为“杀手”，以及他的高级国家安全助理因一系列问题指责中国，两国之间爆发了公开争吵。
莫斯科和北京都进行了回击，为几个月(如果不是更多的话)不断升级的紧张局势创造了条件。如果没有领导层的紧张讨论和各方的重大让步，这些紧张局势不太可能得到解决。
拜登本人在一次电视采访中开始了最新一轮的反指控，他试图在他的俄罗斯政策和前总统唐纳德·特朗普的政策之间找出明显的差异。他被指控对普京手软。仅仅24小时后，拜登的最高外交官和国家安全顾问在面对面的会谈中抨击了中国官员。
尽管拜登对普京的强烈评论反映了特朗普对克里姆林宫经常采取的和解态度的转变，但国务卿安东尼·布林肯(Antony Blinken)和国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文(Jake Sullivan)对中国的严厉批评在许多方面反映了上届政府对北京的强硬路线。
这种截然不同的风格表明，拜登有意扭转美国多年来对俄罗斯的弱势，同时拒绝特朗普2020年的竞选指控，即他对中国不够强硬。
拜登在对俄罗斯采取强硬立场时表示，美国向普京“翻身”的日子已经结束。在周三接受美国广播公司采访时，当被问及他是否认为普京是一个“杀手”时，拜登回答说“我愿意”俄罗斯的回应是召回驻华盛顿大使进行磋商。
普京随后回击道，他指出了美国的奴隶制历史、对美洲原住民的屠杀以及二战中对日本的原子弹轰炸，这是一种“一对一”的回应。
随着事态的发展，周四在阿拉斯加，中国最高两名外交官以类似的方式回应了布林肯(Blinken)和沙利文(Sullivan)对北京在新疆西部地区和西藏的人权记录及其在香港、台湾和南海的侵略行动的批评。
中国共产党外交政策负责人杨洁篪和外交部长王毅指责美国谴责中国的虚伪，同时还在努力解决中国的内部问题，包括针对亚裔美国人和其他有色人种的暴力以及2020年总统大选后的政治动荡选举。
布林肯和沙利文对这些评论表示不满，并回答说美国并不完美，但试图公开、诚实地解决这些问题。沙利文说，美国人愿意正视自己的缺点，这是美国成功的“秘方”。
此外，他们寻求在拜登政府决心纠正这些问题、加强美国经济以及改善与澳大利亚、日本和韩国等亚洲民主盟友关系的背景下，重塑美中关系。
布林肯刚刚与国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀结束了对日本和韩国的访问，他向中国明确表示，美国与其盟友结盟。
“我不得不告诉你，我听到的和你描述的很不一样，”他告诉王和杨。“我非常满意地听到美国回来了，我们与我们的盟友和伙伴重新接触了。我也听到了对贵国政府所采取的一些行动的深切关注。”
布林肯似乎给他的老板留下了深刻的印象。“我为国务卿感到非常骄傲，”拜登在安克雷奇的紧张会谈后说。
针对俄罗斯，欧洲正在与盟国展开类似的努力。
布林肯(Blinken)将于周一前往布鲁塞尔，与北约和欧盟官员举行会谈，旨在修复特朗普主要是事务性外交造成的紧张局势。特朗普的咆哮、贸易战的威胁和要求欧洲为其国防支付更多费用的强烈要求激怒了许多人，特别是在欧洲大陆的两个主要大国:法国和德国。
美国国务院表示，此次访问旨在强调拜登政府“决心加强跨大西洋联盟，并通过北约重振我们与盟友的关系”，着眼于俄罗斯和中国面临的挑战。
2014年莫斯科插手吞并乌克兰克里米亚半岛后，俄罗斯与美国和欧盟的关系已经跌至冷战后的低点选举最近，俄罗斯反对派领导人阿列克谢·纳瓦尔尼中毒后被监禁，他将此归咎于克里姆林宫。俄罗斯当局否认了这些指控。
随后，美国国家情报总监办公室发布了一份报告，发现普京授权影响力行动，以帮助特朗普竞选连任。拜登政府警告说，俄罗斯将很快因试图影响选举和太阳风的广泛黑客攻击而面临制裁。
当被问及解密报告时，拜登在接受美国广播公司采访时说:“普京(普京)将付出代价。”。
US ties with Russia, China sink as Biden toes tough lines
WASHINGTON -- U.S. relations with its two biggest geo-political rivals are facing severe tests as President Joe Biden tries to assert America's place in the world and distinguish himself from his predecessor.
Airing myriad complaints, the Biden administration took an extraordinarily tough line with China and Russia this past week. Public spats between the countries erupted as Biden characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “killer” and his top national security aides excoriated China for a litany of issues.
Moscow and Beijing both fired back, setting the stage for months, if not more, of escalating tensions that are unlikely to be resolved without intense discussions at the leadership level and major concessions from all sides.
Biden himself kicked off the latest round of recrimination in a television interview in which he sought to draw clear differences between his Russia policies and those of former President Donald Trump. who was accused of being soft on Putin. Just 24 hours later, Biden's top diplomat and national security adviser blasted Chinese officials in face-to-face talks.
Although Biden's strong comments about Putin reflected a shift from Trump's often conciliatory approach to the Kremlin, the harsh criticism directed at China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan in many ways mirrored the previous administration's hard line toward Beijing.
The contrasting styles suggested that Biden is intent on reversing years of perceived U.S. weakness toward Russia while rejecting Trump's 2020 campaign allegations that he's not tough enough on China.
In taking a strong line on Russia, Biden has said the days of the U.S. “rolling over” to Putin are done. And, in the interview with ABC broadcast on Wednesday, Biden replied “I do” when asked if he thought Putin was a “killer.” Russia responded by recalling its ambassador in Washington for consultations.
Putin then shot back by pointing to the U.S. history of slavery, the slaughter of Native Americans and the atomic bombing of Japan in World War II in an “it-takes-one-to-know-one” response.
As that was unfolding, on Thursday in Alaska, China's top two diplomats reacted in similar fashion to criticism from Blinken and Sullivan about Beijing's human rights record in the western Xinjiang region and Tibet and its aggressive actions in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Communist Party foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the U.S. of hypocrisy for condemning China while at the same time grappling with its own internal issues, including violence against Asian Americans and other people of color and political unrest following the 2020 presidentialelection.
Blinken and Sullivan took umbrage at those comments and replied that the U.S. was not perfect but sought to openly and honestly address such matters. Sullivan said Americans' willingness to confront their shortcomings was the “secret sauce” of U.S. success.
And, they sought to reframe U.S.-China relations in the context of the Biden administration's resolve to correct those issues, strengthen the U.S. economy and improve ties with democratic allies in Asia such as Australia, Japan and South Korea.
Blinken, having just finished a trip to Japan and South Korea with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, made clear to the Chinese that the U.S. is aligned with its allies.
“I have to tell you, what I’m hearing is very different from what you described,” he told Wang and Yang. “I’m hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we’re re-engaged with our allies and partners. I’m also hearing deep concern about some of the actions your government has taken.”
Blinken appears to have impressed his boss. “I’m very proud of the secretary of state,” Biden said after the testy talks in Anchorage.
A similar effort with allies is underway in Europe with respect to Russia.
Blinken will leave Monday for Brussels for talks with NATO and European Union officials designed to repair strains caused by Trump's largely transactional diplomacy. Trump's bluster, threats of trade wars and intense demands that Europe pay more for its defense angered many, particularly in the continent's two major powers: France and Germany.
That trip is aimed at underscoring the Biden administration’s "determination to strengthen the transatlantic alliance and reinvigorate our ties with allies through NATO” with an eye toward challenges posed by both Russia and China, the State Department said.
Russia’s relations with the United States and the European Union already had plunged to post-Cold War lows after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, meddling inelections, hacking attacks and, most recently, the jailing of Russia’s opposition leader Alexei Navalny after his poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin. Russian authorities rejected the accusations.
Then, the U.S. national intelligence director’s office released a report finding that Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump’s reelection bid. The Biden administration warned that Russia would face sanctions soon over its attempt to influence the election and the widespread SolarWinds hacks.
“(Putin) will pay a price,” Biden said in the ABC interview when asked about the declassified report.
