The United States and Chinese embassies in Kenya engaged in an unusual public exchange on X, sparking instant diplomatic tension. US ambassodor to Kenya Susan Burns (left) and her Chinese counterpart Guo Haiyan. Photo: US embassy/Chinese embassy in Kenya. Source: Facebook The exchange was triggered by a post from China’s embassy that posed a series of pointed questions aimed at Washington’s global conduct. What accusations did China make against the US? In the post, China accused the United States of violating international law by capturing Venezuela’s president and asserting plans to exert indefinite control over Venezuela’s oil sales. The Chinese embassy also accused America of threatening to annex Greenland, and withdrawing from 66 international organisations.
”What’s going on with the United States? Violating international law by seizing the President of Venezuela. Declaring that it will indefinitely control Venezuela’s oil sales. Threatening to annex Greenland. Withdrawing from 66 international organisations… What should the international community do?” Posted the Chinese mission in Kenya. This was not the first time the Chinese embassy in Kenya had launched scathing online attacks on the US. Visibly pissed off by the unending onslaught, the US Embassy in Nairobi responded with a brief but sharp retort: “Perhaps start by allowing your own citizens to see this post.” The comment was interpreted as a reference to China’s longstanding restrictions on X and other major global social media platforms, which have been inaccessible to most Chinese citizens for more than a decade. China began blocking X, then known as Twitter, in 2009, alongside platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, as part of broader internet controls aimed at regulating online content. Since then, Beijing has promoted domestically developed alternatives that operate under strict state oversight. The US response appeared to suggest that China’s criticisms of international law and rights issues should be weighed against its own limitations on access to information and online expression.
The exchange further brought to the fore the long-running tensions between the two global powers. Why are the issues pitting the US against China? Washington and Beijing have for years clashed over issues including human rights, freedom of expression, trade practices, technological dominance, territorial disputes, and influence in global governance institutions. The rivalry has increasingly played out not only through formal diplomatic channels but also in public messaging and digital diplomacy. One of the most prominent fields has been technology and data security, exemplified by US efforts to restrict or ban TikTok over concerns that the Chinese-owned platform could be compelled to share user data with Beijing, claims China has repeatedly denied. The issue has become symbolic of wider mistrust between the two powers over digital influence and surveillance. Tensions have also remained high over Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province, while the United States maintains unofficial relations with the island and supports its defence capabilities. The US’s arms sales to Taiwan and high-level visits by American officials have drawn sharp rebukes from Beijing, which views such actions as violations of its sovereignty and the “One China” principle.
Call for Code Global Award, bag KSh 6.4m Trade and economic policy have been another long-running source of conflict. The two countries have imposed tariffs on each other’s goods, restricted access to critical technologies such as advanced semiconductors, and accused one another of unfair trade practices. Washington has tightened export controls on chips and chip-making equipment, citing national security concerns, while China has warned against what it describes as efforts to contain its economic development.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
