Mr. Sima Nan goes to the U.S. Embassy

China's leading "anti-America fighter" is now fiercely defending unofficial interactions with the U.S., in a public diplomacy coup for Amb. Nicholas Burns.

Sima Nan is the alise of YU Li, a television pundit, commentator, and vlogger with 44 million followers across Chinese social media platforms and a reputation for his anti-West stance. In short, Sima Nan to the United States of America is similar to Tucker Carlson to the Democratic Party.

On Tuesday, July 4, he was invited to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for an Independence Day event. Below are the text and photos he shared on Chinese social media on Wednesday, July 5. He also made a video based on them.

You may find his writings incoherent but I’ll contextualize it later. In summary, whoever at the U.S. embassy invited Sima Nan probably has got a commendation for the rare public diplomacy feast.

***

司马南：伯恩斯大使请饭，原来我俩都是哈大的

Sima Nan: Ambassador Burns invites me for a meal, turns out we're both from Ha University

[Sima Nan graduated from what is now Harbin University of Commerce. Nicholas Burns taught at Havard.]

On July 4th, 2023, it rained all day in Beijing, but the weather cleared up in the evening.

In June, I received several invitation letters from Mr. Nicholas Burns of the U.S. Embassy, and I went there as scheduled.

(Caption: I’m Sima Nan, a resident of Dongcheng District, Beijing, and a citizen of China. I, at invitation, come to the U.S. embassy, and am ready to exchange views with Ambassador Nicholas Burns on the U.S. embassy building a food street, particularly on why beef comes with blood streaks…)

Before going, I specifically asked if they would collect phones.

They replied, “There is a security check, but we wouldn't collect phones."

When I was invited by U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke, the U.S. embassy collected all phones (after we arrived). Then, when I met Mr. Wang Jianlin (of real estate giant Wanda) and Mr. Zheng Yuanjie, the (Chinese) "King of Fairy Tales," as well as a few other celebrities, I wanted to take a photo as a memento. Instinctively, I checked my pocket but realized I didn't have my phone, so I could only smile and let it go.

(This time as I was about to go) My phone was running out of power, so I brought a white Huawei power bank, and I took it to the embassy. Many ladies entered the embassy with large and small bags. In my opinion, the security check was much more relaxed compared to taking a high-speed train.

[Huawei is under U.S. sanctions.]

(Caption:

In blue: Mr. Sima Nan, was it you who said I am a Wolf Warrior Ambassador? You said I need to learn from Ambassador Qin Gang and interacted more with ordinary Beijinger? I first taught in universities, then wrote columns, then conducted diplomacy in government.

In red: You don’t look like a wolf warrior today with plenty of food. You are five months older than me. I spent my life first teaching in universities and then in media. We are both from Ha University. You are from Havard, I’m from Harbin University of Commerce.)

Perhaps because there were many guests, there were five or six people responsible for registration, both men and women, including both Chinese and foreigners. When I saw someone holding a paper-based invitation letter, I curiously asked why I didn't receive a paper invitation.

The reply was, "We printed them from the computer."

The registration staff didn't check my electronic invitation letter or my ID. They found me from a stack of names and handed me a blue badge that could be hung around my neck.

The event was held outdoors, and each person was given a small fan. I chose a red one.

After entering the embassy gate and turning left, there was a simulated background of a beach on the US West Coast. The photographers took pictures of everyone in their poses. I sat on a beach chair, and with a click, "Sima Nan Living in the United States" was solidified.

[Sima Nan has always been a fierce critic of the U.S. But he was known to visit the U.S. and admitted in 2022 to owning a house in California, based on which his critics accused him of “living in the U.S.,” which he denied. The accusation never went away.]

The Commercial Section of the embassy invited the most people, with over 300 guests. They were very busy. There were also many guests invited by the Defense Attaché's Office, and military personnel were seen everywhere. It was said that I was invited by the Political Section.

In the United States, they call it Independence Day, emphasizing the word "freedom." The symbol of freedom is everyone feasting and enjoying themselves. The outdoor area of the embassy turned into a street of food. Since I hadn't eaten lunch, I decided to try various foods. I didn't eat chicken, but I tasted everything else, although I wasn't used to the beef with blood vessels. I had four scoops of ice cream, and it tasted good, but not as good as the ice cream at the Russian Embassy.

I must praise the U.S. Embassy's celebration of Independence Day. The Russian Embassy's celebration of its national day was comparatively subpar. These Americans really know how to eat. The same dishes were divided into three sections, like three restaurants serving the same food, but it looked spectacular.

There was another difference. At the Russian Embassy, guests had more conversations on serious topics. The (celebration at the) U.S. Embassy, on the other hand, was relatively relaxed. People chatted casually, creating a festive atmosphere.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns was the star, and people surrounded him wherever he went. Three photos in this post (my photo with Burns) were taken by a young lady at the event.

Ambassador Burns was born in 1956, five months older than me. He had a career in academia before becoming a diplomat. He served as the 13th US Ambassador to China. When he spoke about China in the U.S. Congress, he looked fierce. Standing in front of me, we were about the same height, two old men. Ms. Wang, an old lady in my neighborhood used to say, "To judge if someone is old, look at their neck.” Everyone, look at our necks." He hasn't retired yet, and he looks tired. With U.S.-China relations deteriorating to this extent, in his position, he actually can't do much, which is awkward.

After interacting with China, he changed a bit, especially after his high-speed train ride. But it's difficult to completely change the perception of U.S. politicians towards China - not enough to just shake hands and take photos. They (China and the U.S.) need to sit down, have a serious discussion, eat strong dishes, drink together, and let U.S. politicians truly accept China from their hearts. Then, someone could say "Ready, set, go!" and (U.S. and China should) compete to see who comes first and who comes second. That would be called healthy competition.

If they look at each other unfavorably and resort to dirty tricks and hinder each other, it will lead to mutual destruction. Chairman Mao once said that the American people are great people. Two great nations designating each other as enemies, fulfilling their psychological expectations - if it's not stupidity, what else can it be?

(Caption:

In blue: Oh my god, I was worried about raining and wasn’t expecting the rain to stop now.

In red: I hope China-U.S. relations are like the weather, clear sky after rain.)

Does everyone see this photo above? After we calmed down our facial expressions (for the camera), there was no one around. I regret that my broken English couldn't express a more accurate meaning. He spoke Chinese quite well, with no major issues in pronouncing Ni Hao (hello) and Zai Jian (bye). What an inconsiderate event! The Americans didn't even provide an interpretation. Before going, I had thought about whether or not to bring an iFlytek translation device.

[iFlytech, a speech recognition firm, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2019.]

In the end, I had to summarize: good food, understanding is most important, goodbye...

Americans, in private interactions, are quite friendly.

Even Biden said good things on Bali Island, and Blinken said some nice words when he visited. Yellen is coming tomorrow, and she also said a bunch of nice things before coming. The problem is, once they finish their speech, they become different people. Just like a drunkard who acts recklessly after getting drunk, saying one thing but doing another. It doesn't matter if they make promises; it's useless. This is called the psychological dependency syndrome of hegemony, and it has been going on for over a hundred years. It's not easy to cure.

If you ask them to correct their understanding of China and return to rationality, they will promise as if it's real. If you ask them to fasten the first button of U.S.-China relations, they will secretly move it elsewhere. If you sincerely talk to them about not saying one thing and doing another in U.S.-China relations, they will say one thing and do another. You draw a red line, and they cut it like sausage. If you treat them with the utmost kindness, they will play hooliganism with you...

The problem is not that they don't understand the reasoning, but that their nature doesn't change.

Even if Ambassador Nicholas Burns, like John Stewart Service or Edgar Snow, changed his perception of China after interacting with members of the Communist Party of China, it wouldn't change the current position of the U.S. government. Unfortunately, Ambassador Burns doesn't know who John Stewart Service is.

Not long ago, an American complained to me that they used to be invited to the World Peace Forum, but now they are not invited anymore. Well, if they're not invited, they're not but the Americans were even informed, in advance, of "You're not invited anymore," “My mom doesn’t want me to play with you.”

This foreigner felt a bit emotionally frustrated.

Maintaining necessary communication between China and the U.S. at various levels is important. Even the interaction at the level of retired old men from Dongcheng is useful. [Sima Nan is a resident of the Dongcheng District of Beijing.] It's a good thing to have some American old ladies come together with us in Dongcheng to dance, exercise, and make dumplings. After all, they are retired and have time on their hands. There's nothing wrong with a bit of twilight romance. Our neighborhood committee is open-minded and won't interfere with the personal lives of men and women. Once people reach 65, gender distinctions no longer matter.

During Mao Zedong's time in Yan'an, even when military and party affairs were busy, he had close contact with the U.S. military observer group, including John Stewart Service and others, for three months. Who knows how many sleepless nights they spent in the cave, with an oil lamp burning, having frank and in-depth exchanges, effectively trying to influence and do political work on the thinking of several foreigners.

Is there anything for the Communist Party of China to fear?

Shouldn't forthright members of the Communist Party of China be able to convince others with their own straightforward principles? My neighbor lady said, "If you don't have any illnesses in your belly, you won't die." We should have the patience of Mao Zedong. The spirit of proactive action and patience go hand in hand.

You take care of New Year on the first day, and I take care on the fifteenth. Today we eat Western food, and tomorrow I'll treat you to boiled pork entrails in the hutongs.

Mr. "Wolf Warrior Ambassador Burns" had a fierce and intimidating look while testifying in the U.S. Congress. I wrote several articles and hosted numerous programs to criticize him. But privately, he's actually a pretty mild-mannered old man. He smiles casually, and there's no sense of incompatibility when he takes photos with Sima Nan, who has been labeled as an "anti-American fighter" for many years.

Why don't a "Wolf Warrior Ambassador" and an "anti-America fighter" fight each other when they're together? Why do they eat, drink, and even take photos together?

This is called diplomatic etiquette. When someone invites you for a meal, why would you show hostility? Sometimes, U.S. diplomats understand the principle of "being polite even when being unreasonable." Even a fool wouldn't kick a stone when they see it.

The main source of contradictions between China and the U.S. is the U.S. misperception of China. Burns, who is just five months older than me, is not the primary decision-maker when it comes to diplomatic policies. Even when discussing the contradictions between China and the U.S., there are elements of conflict, but there are also commonalities, unity, and consistency. These contradictions and struggles are interpenetrating, interdependent, interconnected, and cooperative. How can we just mindlessly shout for war and killing?

In terms of political ideologies between China and the U.S., the two old men have fundamental differences. But if you stand in the courtyard of the embassy and look at the weather, it rains during the day and clears up in the evening; it wasn’t rainining or windy today, and the sun will come out tomorrow. Is there any difference in this understanding? China and the U.S. must seek common ground while handling differences and managing the challenge of normal coexistence. Clear skies after the rain in China-US relations, that’s my utmost wish.

[This is the single highlighted sentence by Sima Nan in his article.]

What title should I use for this article: "Wolf Warrior Ambassador vs. Anti-American Fighter." It's sensationalized. How about changing it to "Sima Nan Meets Burns"? "Meets" is a bit grand, so let's change it to "My Encounter with Burns." "American Ambassador Berns Invites Me for a Meal" - well, let's use this one. It's also a bit boastful since he invited several hundred people. There are important political figures here, and I am only one of the ordinary people, and the main body of presence here is still the business community. Looking at the current situation between China and the U.S., decoupling is difficult.

What surprised me the most during the U.S. Embassy's National Day event this time is that none of those well-known “public intellectuals,” such as so-and-so and so-and-so, were present.

Did they stop inviting them? Or did they just meet privately?

Written before breakfast on July 5, 2023, in Nan Luo Gu Xiang, Dongcheng District, Beijing.

***

As China-U.S. relations nosedived into what Beijing termed “the lowest point since its establishment,” non-governmental interactions with Americans, especially the U.S. government, have been subject to increasing suspicion and scrutiny.

One prime example is the jingoistic reactions on social media to Sima Nan’s voluntary, detailed advertising of his experience in the U.S. embassy. Even the card-carrying U.S. critic had to defend his attendance in the following days, in another social media post that includes

The series of photos showing me shaking hands with Ambassador Nicholas Burns spread widely. From these photos, they discovered evidence of Sima Nan's defection, evidence of being an American, and evidence of being an American spy.

Since attending the US Embassy's National Day event implies being a suspected American spy, does that mean attending the Russian Embassy's National Day event would make me a Russian spy? Prior to attending the US Embassy's National Day event, I attended the Russian Embassy's National Day event and various other activities for two consecutive years.

What do you mean I shouldn't have gone?

I don't care what you think, I care about what I think.

Next year, I'll continue to go. To those friends who cursed me for going to the US Embassy, let me make it clear in advance: You should keep up that momentum, like running a marathon. Save some energy for the final sprint.

So far, Sima Nan has published three videos and written even more articles, making one of China's most ardent critics of the U.S. the biggest Chinese publicist of the U.S. Embassy’s Independence Day celebration, bringing huge Internet traffic and attention otherwise unavailable.

Interestingly, the Russian embassy in China couldn’t resist the temptation to intervene and quipped “Take a look at the photos from these two national receptions. It's evident that Russia is in a positive light, while the U.S. is in a dark light.”

More importantly, Sima Nan’s enthusiastic defense perhaps unprecedentedly helps demystify if not normalize and legitimize participation in public events at the U.S. embassy in the tense geopolitical environment where attendance has almost become something of a taboo - if Sima Nan went and advertised it, who shouldn’t?

For the hundreds of participants at the China-organized 11th World Peace Forum in Beijing last week, the absence of U.S. diplomats was not a secret. It was perhaps too trivial for news reporting, but quite unbelievably it came down to Sima Nan who boldly broadcasted Beijing’s non-invitation at home and voiced his disagreement, with a thinly-veiled jab

Not long ago, an American complained to me that they used to be invited to the World Peace Forum, but now they are not invited anymore. Well, if they're not invited, they're not but the Americans were even informed, in advance, of "You're not invited anymore," “My mom doesn’t want me to play with you.”

This foreigner felt a bit emotionally frustrated.

Maintaining necessary communication between China and the U.S. at various levels is important.

During Mao Zedong's time in Yan'an, even when military and party affairs were busy, he had close contact with the U.S. military observer group, including John Stewart Service and others, for three months. Who knows how many sleepless nights they spent in the cave, with an oil lamp burning, having frank and in-depth exchanges, effectively trying to influence and do political work on the thinking of several foreigners.

Is there anything for the Communist Party of China to fear?

Shouldn't forthright members of the Communist Party of China be able to convince others with their own straightforward principles?

Last but not least, His Excellency appears to not only have secured Sima Nan’s attendance at next year’s Independence Day event but also an invitation to Beijing’s signature delicacy

你做初一，我做十五，今天吃西餐，明天胡同小馆请你吃卤煮

You take care of New Year on the first day, and I take care on the fifteenth. Today we eat Western food, and tomorrow I'll treat you to boiled pork entrails in the hutongs.

Not sure how it works in the U.S. embassy but the diplomat who invited Sima Nan probably has earned a commendation for public diplomacy.