Monday, June 30, 2008

China Upstages Condi with Gorgeous Matching Armchairs Photo-Ops


US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, seen here with Chinese Premier Wen Jiaboa in Beijing, has pressed China on sensitive human rights issues, but said she was encouraged by their decision to hold talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys. (AFP/Oded Balilty)


So pretty! Condi could learn a lot from these people when it comes to setting up lovely photo-ops. And they probably torture people less, too! Neither of the AFP photos here are dated, but I believe the above is from today, and this one is from yesterday:


US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, seen here with Chinese President Hu Jintao, has pressed China's leaders on sensitive human rights issues, but said she was encouraged by their decision to hold talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys. (AFP/Oded Balilty)


Good stuff! As for Condi's diplomatic efforts:

Rice had earlier said she would urge Chinese leaders to support U.N. sanctions against Zimbabwe. The U.S. wants an arms embargo and travel restrictions against the government of Robert Mugabe for suppressing political opponents and their supporters.

But China gave no indication it is willing to support the initiative.


Oh well. Hey, the pictures are pretty!

14 comments:

Lulu Maude said...

Uh-oh... that jacket probably needs Freshening Up.

But it's nice to catch up with our favorite non-entity.

Unknown said...

Christ-all-fucking-mighty that top one is awesome. Think Condo is feeling the love from those murdering fuckwits? ;p

Mistress Cynica said...

China has an awesome art director.

Anonymous said...

The Chinese are telling Condi how to build the right kind of US-Mexican wall, with an illustration to boot.

Keith said...

They even went all the way with matching translators. Love it.

Jess Wundrun said...

Her legs aren't all sprawly and akimbo like they are when she is in the middle east. No reason to taunt the Chinese with the forbidden soles of her feet, I guess.

[Insert bigoty chinese laundry joke about wearing the same suit two days in a row]

Do you think she needed a Visa for her invisible spherical friend, held aloft in photo #1?

Matthew Hubbard said...

The Chinese are definitely winners in the best diplomatic backdrop competition. They are almost always finalists in the "You want something? What's in it for us?" competition as well.

Talking with Tibetan envoys! Wow, not even sixty years yet, and they've gotten to the talking with envoys stage. Talk about progress!

Anonymous said...

A trip to China, but only one outfit?

zoe said...

Manolos. She is wearing out those Manolos. I cannot wait until she passes in to obscurity in Palo Alto. Wait. I hope they revoke her invite and she just passes in to obscurity.

Diane Griffin said...

Every time I see one of these shots I just cringe. She so does not deserve to be where she is, and frankly, I worry that it's dangerous to have her there, though I think most of the players she deals with realize what a nonentity she is.

dguzman said...

Madduane hit it on the head--she's like the Tazmanian devil from Bugs Bunny: he could be really destructive, but he just ends up being the object of Bugs' jokes.

samael7 said...

Wow, the Chinese really know how to do symmetry! From the triptych amber backdrop, to the flowerbuds on either side of the diplomats, to, yes, the matching his-n-her translators, they've got it down.

I don't know anything about Premier Wen Jiaboa, but is it possible there may be some Yin-Yang symmetry between he and Lecondel? Skilled and gormless, perhaps?

Karen Zipdrive said...

Sanctions, schmanctions.
It seems Bush just learned about sanctions when he came into office and now he's like some nerd who reads the vocabulary words in Reader's Digest and tries to use them in every other sentence.

Threatened sanctions by Bush and Condi are quickly becoming cool collectors' items for renegade countries.

"Yo, they threatened to sanction us five times already, amigo!"
"Screw that! They have eight sanction threats against us!"
"You da man, hombre!"

Anonymous said...

How attentive, how attentive to Chinese officials is the dreadful, arriviste Condi ... Observing her during the past nightmarish years, one can only conclude that she is probably trying to get a recommendation for a dry cleaner in Washington near her Watergate apartment, i.e., "negotiating for American national interests."

Meanwhile, her Chinese interlocutors are, let us surmise, asking how their cousins can get a visa/scholarship to the U.S., i.e., "negotiating for Chinese national interests."

Such is "high-level diplomacy."